Round-up: Pfizer victim of April Fool, GSK's world pricing and more
It's been a busy week in pharma, which ended on a slightly comical note for Pfizer – the company ended up fighting off bogus April Fool suggestions that it would no longer increase prices.
Pfizer did not see the funny side, saying it may take legal action against the prankster who sent out a bogus press release, that was reported on by the Washington Post.
But amid the commotion GlaxoSmithKline gave hope to developing world countries by deciding against filing patents in the world's poorest countries.
It agreed to grant licences to generic competitors in lower middle income countries, adding it intended to put future oncology drugs in a patent pool to allow generics firms to make copies in developing countries.
In regulation, the European Medicines Agency said a programme that helps pharma companies reconcile data required by regulators and HTA bodies has proven popular.
Since its start in July 2010, a total of 63 parallel scientific advice procedures were completed by December 2015.
There are 14 such applications currently registered for 2016 (four are ongoing, two are completed and eight are due to start). Take up of parallel scientific advice increased significantly, as the number of procedures almost tripled in 2015 compared to the previous year, the EMA said.
Pfizer also received a boost after posting a second set of positive Phase III results for its lipid-lowering bococizumab. Lilly's baricitinib also notched up a Phase III success in arthritis.