In 2012, domestic and foreign R&D spending by members of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) declined for the second year in a row to $48,485 million, a 0.3% decrease. Domestic expenditures increased 1.2%, and spending abroad dropped 4.9% to account for 76% and 24% of PhRMA members’ R&D spending, respectively. As a […]

A survey by Booz & Company of drug company executives, experts and its own staff concluded that a tailored approach to local markets is needed for pharmaceutical firms in emerging markets. In 2016, emerging markets are forecast to account for 30% of the $1,190 billion worldwide pharmaceutical market, up from 20% in 2011. Among emerging […]

An American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) working group recommended this month that patients whose genomes are sequenced for a medical condition be told whether they have a predisposition to other diseases. The recommendations, the first from a professional society about how to handle so-called “incidental findings,” apply to all children and adults, […]

The FDA has proposed changes to its approval process for new Alzheimer’s drugs, which is expected to ease approval by providing clearer criteria. Published on the website of The New England Journal of Medicine, the plan would eliminate the requirement that a clinical trial show improvement in patients’ daily functioning. Rather, improvement in early-stage Alzheimer’s […]

A survey by Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN) finds that 10 chemical companies plan to increase their combined R&D spending 3.6% this year to $7.4 billion, following a 7.8% increase in 2012. Only one of the 10 firms plans to decrease R&D expenditures. Eighteen companies surveyed plan to increase expenditures for plants and equipment by […]