Brian Buntz

As COVID-19 infections in the U.S. hit new highs, President Joe Biden announced that the country would buy at least 20 million courses of Pfizer’s (NYSE:PFE) COVID-19 pill Paxlovid.  The government had planned on purchasing half as much of the drug, which won regulatory authorization in late December for certain patients with a high risk of developing…

With the pandemic continuing to disrupt the pharmaceutical industry, drug makers find themselves torn between the traditional domain of drug making and an emerging domain of new platforms and focuses. This disparity was reflected in the most popular pieces of content from Pharmaceutical Processing World in 2021. 1. GSK, Pfizer and J&J among the most-fined drug…

WHO head Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus faulted wealthy nations for advocating widespread use of COVID-19 boosters while billions of people across the globe remain unvaccinated. Ghebreyesus concluded that the situation could lead to more potentially dangerous SARS-CoV-2 mutations. The WHO has asked wealthy countries to prioritize vaccine initiatives in countries with low vaccination rates over…

Dubai-based Vector Pharma FZCO has signed an exclusive agreement with R-Pharm US (Princeton, New Jersey) related to distributing the drug Ixempra (ixabepilone) in the Middle East and North Africa. The chemotherapy agent Ixempra can be used as a monotherapy or in combination with capecitabine to treat metastatic or locally advanced breast cancer. The drug is…

Last month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued nasal spray company Xlear for claiming that its xylitol-containing saline nasal spray could help fight COVID-19. Specifically, the FTC alleged that Xlear had violated the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act. The Department of Justice also accused the company of violating the Federal Trade Commission Act. American Fork, Utah–based…

Privately-owned materials science firm SiO2 Materials Science has entered into an agreement with Seoul-headquartered Doosan Corp. related to the distribution of its vials, syringes and blood collection tubes in Asia and Oceania. The alliance will initially cater to the needs of pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies, with the scope of the partnership increasing over time. As…

Mere months ago, health experts were divided on whether COVID-19 boosters were necessary for the broader public.  Then came delta and then came omicron.  Now, Israel is moving to become one of the first countries to offer a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine to people at least 60 years old and those at high risk…

Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) announced that one of its contract manufacturers filling syringes for its Wegovy (semaglutide) pens in the U.S. market has temporarily ceased manufacturing following a report of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) problems. The company projects it will be unable to meet U.S. demand for the drug in the first half of 2022 and…

Colleen McMahon of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York overturned a sweeping settlement against Purdue Pharma over its role in the opioid crisis. Purdue’s Oxycontin (oxycodone) is among the most widely used opioids. In September, Judge Robert Drain of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in White Plains, New York, authorized a…

The FDA has decided to allow dispensing of mifepristone from Danco Laboratories by mail using certified prescribers of pharmacies. The move also allows dispensing of the drug via telemedicine. The agency had previously required that individuals obtain the abortion drug mifepristone (Mifeprex) in person. FDA notes that the mail-order distribution model became popular during the pandemic, leading…