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Last week, Merck & Co. unveiled plans to reduce its global workforce, as measured by year-end 2009 levels, by an additional 12–13% by 2015. The company described its plans in its report on second-quarter earnings, which the company issued on July 29, 2011.

Last week, the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) published a guidance document titled ISPE Good Practice Guide: Process Gases. The guide defines current best practices in pharmaceutical manufacturing applications for handling gases that come into direct contact with the biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical process steams (e.g., nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, and compressed air).

The European Medicines Agency has updated the template for package leaflets to make the information easier for patients to understand. Leaflets will now include less rigid language and new sections that provide greater information about a drug?s benefits. There will also be more information about the medicine?s use in children to comply with the requirements of pediatric regulation.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) has signed an agreement to acquire Amira Pharmaceuticals, a small-molecule company with a focus on treatments for inflammatory and fibrotic diseases for $325 million. The amount will be paid upfront, but there is potential for additional milestone payments up to $150 million. The acquisition represents BMS?s entrance into the fibrotic diseases area, which the company says is an area of high unmet need.

The age of globalized industry should result in fewer barriers between countries, but it is rarely that straightforward in practice. At the India?US Strategic Dialogue held in New Dehli on July 19, 2011, India?s junior science minister Ashwani Kumar complained to US presidential science adviser John Holdren that a new US visa policy is hampering the ability of Indian scientists to travel to the United States, according to a report by ScienceInsider. Kumar asked that the procedure be streamlined. Indian scientists, even top aides to the government, are now required to renew their visa annually, but they previously could obtain a multiple-entry visa every 5 to 10 years. This change makes it difficult for Indian scientists to attend conferences in the US or engage in any other frequent, short-duration travel without attending to yearly paperwork. ?I understand the visa issue is a problem and a challenge, and we hope to improve it,? said Holdren, according to ScienceInsider.

FDA released this week a report from its Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) that identifies regulatory science needs that will guide CDER?s strategic planning in the years ahead and allow it to fulfill its regulatory mission. The report, Identifying CDER?s Science and Research Needs, discusses internal research initiatives and goals for contributing to the agency?s overall regulatory science efforts.

The global production of seasonal influenza vaccine will double to 1.7 billion doses by 2015, according to a presentation given by Marie-Paule Kieny, the World Health Organization?s (WHO) assistant director general for innovation, information, evidence, and research. Kieny spoke at the WHO?s first review of its Global Action Plan (GAP) for Influenza Vaccines on July 12?14, 2011. New manufacturers in 11 developing countries, including Brazil, India, Iran, Mexico, and Vietnam, will be producing vaccines by that time, according to the presentation.

The negotiations under way to control government spending and reduce the deficit have the potential to impact pharmaceutical revenues. A proposal is on the table to increase drug rebates under Medicare Part D as a means of controlling the overall costs of the Medicare program. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) is opposed to such measures, concerned that a decrease in revenues could damage a healthy and growing industry and that the ripple-effects from a slowdown in biopharmaceutical growth could negatively impact an already fragile economy. In a press release, PhRMA president and CEO John J. Castellani issued the following statement:

In early July 2011, FDA provided an update in which the agency said that it has made progress toward implementing the US Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which was enacted in January 2011. In addition to clarifying expectations for new dietary ingredients through new draft guidance, the agency has issued an antismuggling strategy.

The Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (SOCMA) issued its support this week of the passage of pending free-trade agreements (FTA) with South Korea, Panama and Colombia by two Congressional committees. SOCMA is the US-based trade association representing custom and batch manufacturers, including contract manufacturers of fine chemicals, pharmaceutical intermediates, and active pharmaceutical ingredients.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has detailed plans for granting public access to information concerning the potential side effects of medicines. Members of the public will be able to access data in the EudraVigilance database-EMA?s central repository for reports of suspected adverse reactions related to authorized medicines in the European Economic Area, as well as those being studied in clinical trials.

FDA banned the importation of products manufactured at the Mexican unit of Dr. Reddy?s Laboratories, according to Reuters. The import ban is a result of the company?s failure to correct the violations listed in a June 3, 2011, Warning Letter to the agency's satisfaction.

Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee are expanding their investigation into the 2008 entry of contaminated heparin from China into the United States (US) market.

An FDA panel has voted unanimously to withdraw approval for Roche?s Avastin for use in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer because there is not enough data to support the conclusion that the benefits outweigh the risks. The fate of Avastin in this indication now lies in the hands of FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, who will make the final decision after the period for public comments closes at the end of July. Roche will also have the opportunity to submit its final summary on the matter.

FDA issued a draft guidance, entitled ?Q11 Development and Manufacture of Drug Substances,? which is now available for comment according to a notice published on June 29, 2011, in the Federal Register. The draft guidance was developed in conjunction with the International Conference on Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH), and describes approaches to developing process and drug substance understanding. It also provides guidance on what information should be provided in certain sections of the Common Technical Document (CTD).

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has responded positively to a new directive published in the Official Journal of the European Union addressing concerns over increases in falsified medicines in the supply chain. The directive comes into effect on July 21, 2011, and EMA will be working closely with its partners and the European Commission (EC) on implementation over the next 18 months. Member states will have to begin applying the measures beginning January 2013.

EMA has held a second forum regarding the implementation of new pharmacovigilance legislation, which gave stakeholders the opportunity to discuss their expectations on various aspects of the new legislation?s execution. The forum, held on June 17, 2011, was attended by a wide cross-section of participants from industry, patient, and consumer representatives, as well as those from the EMA and national authorities, and represented a clear effort to guarantee timely input from all stakeholders during the implementation process.

At last week?s 2011 Partnering for Global Health Forum, sponsored by the Biotechnology Industry Organization and BioVentures for Global Health, a unique panel of government leaders from emerging markets discussed what it takes to do business in their countries.

Data has highlighted the pharma industry's high rate of Phase III drug terminations and significantly reduced research and development (R&D) spending. According with Thomson Reuters, 2008?2010 saw more than double the number of Phase III terminations compared to 2005?2007, while pharmaceutical R&D spend, in general, hit a three-year low in 2010. The information has been published in the 2011 edition of the Pharmaceutical R&D Factbook, compiled by Thomson Reuters? CMR International unit. A press statement from Thomson Reuters also added that the clinical trials dropout rate is at ?unsustainable levels.?

In a speech at Carnegie Mellon University?s National Robotics Engineering Center last Friday, President Obama unveiled an Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP) designed to reinvigorate the country?s manufacturing sector. The partnership between academics, business leaders, and science and technology agencies is intended to create jobs by helping US manufacturers reduce costs, improve quality, and accelerate product development.

The International Pharmaceutical Excipients Council (IPEC) Federation issued a statement on the use of phthalates in pharmaceutical products in response to reports of adulteration of certain nutritional supplements, vitamins, foods, and beverages imported from Taiwan. Two phthalates, di-ethyl hexyl phthlate (DEHP) and di-isononyl phthalate (DINP), which are commonly used as plasticizers for polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-based plastics, were found in certain adulterated products and subsequently recalled by Taiwan authorities. It is believed that the phthlates were added as a form of economically motivated adulteration as a low-cost replacement for palm oil.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has entered into an agreement to purchase Shenzhen Neptunus' stake in a previously formed joint venture between the companies involved in the development and manufacture of influenza vaccines in China, Hong Kong, and Macau. GSK will pay Shenzhen Neptunus $39 million, after which GSK will be the sole owner of the joint venture company, Shenzhen GSK-Neptunus Biologicals (GSKNB).

Merck & Co. and the biobusiness of Hanwha Chemical, a Korean chemical manufacturer, have formed an exclusive global agreement to develop and a commercialize a biosimilar of Enbrel (etanercept), a drug to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis.

Nanotechnology is science involving particles less than 100 nm in size. It is an emerging technology that is finding applications in medical products, food packaging, and cosmetics. Nanoscale materials can have different chemical, physical, or biological properties than their conventionally-scaled counterparts. As a first step in providing regulatory clarity about the use of such technology, FDA issued a draft guidance, titled "Considering Whether an FDA-Regulated Product Involves the Application of Nanotechnology" on June 9, 2011. The guidance lists points that FDA will consider when determining whether a product applies nanotechnology, and explains rationales for those points.

After looking back at the first year of its Bad Ad outreach program, FDA judged that the initiative has successfully raised awareness about misleading promotion, according to an FDA press release. The program, which was intended to educate healthcare providers about misleading drug promotions, debuted on May 11, 2010. Since that time, the agency has received 328 reports of potentially untruthful promotion. In contrast, FDA received an average of 104 reports per year before the initiative was launched.

Believing that transparency in the pricing of medicines is ?fundamental? to enabling patients and stakeholders to make proper decisions about equity and value for money in health systems, the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) called for greater pricing transparency. EPHA also called for the formation of a public website that provides comparative information on medicines? procurement prices. EPHA?s calls are a response to the European Commission?s consultation on the possible revision of Directive 89/105/EEC, which concerns the transparency of the pricing and reimbursement of medicines in various member states.

A South Carolina court found that Ortho-McNeill-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson (J&J), violated state consumer-protection laws by using misleading marketing for its antipsychotic drug, Risperdal. Janssen Pharmaceuticals, the maker of the drug, received a Warning Letter from FDA in April 2004 over misleading product claims made in a ?Dear Doctor? letter that the company sent to healthcare providers in November 2003. According to FDA, the Janssen promotional material minimized the risks of hyperglycemia-related adverse events associated with Risperdal, and misleadingly claimed that Risperdal was safer than other atypical antipsychotics.

The FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research's Office of Compliance is undergoing some major structural reorganization, according to an internal letter to the CDER staff from Director Janet Wookcock, dated May 26, 2011, which was shared with Pharmaceutical Technology by the agency press office. Specifically, the Office of Compliance will be elevated to a "Super Office." Similar offices exist within CDER including the Office of Pharmaceutical Science. The change means that the Office of Compliance will house subordinate offices, including four new offices, three of which are similar to existing divisions, according to the letter. The new fourth office will be called the Office of Drug Security, Integrity & Recalls (ODSIR) and will focus on addressing the challenges of globalization and an increasingly complex drug supply chain. This includes dealing with supply-chain security, counterfeit and diverted drugs, economically motivated adulteration, import operations, and drug recalls, according to the announcement.

The US Supreme Court, in a decision concerning the patent rights of research universities, ruled in favor of Roche in a patent-dispute case between the pharmaceutical company and Stanford University. In a 7?2 vote, the Court upheld a lower court?s decision that Stanford did not have a claim to patents for technology to detect HIV blood levels using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology.

This week, AstraZeneca agreed to settle a sex-discrimination lawsuit by paying $250,000 to 124 women who worked at the company?s Philadelphia Business Center in Wayne, Pennsylvania. The US Department of Labor (DOL) brought the lawsuit in May 2010, alleging that AstraZeneca had discriminated against female sales specialists by paying them salaries that were an average of $1700 less than those of their male counterparts.