The Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufactuers of America (PhRMA), the powerful trade organization of the pharmaceutical industry, announced at its annual meeting its members have elected John C. Lechleiter, CEO of Eli Lilly and Co., as its next chairman. Lechleiter will replace outgoing Chairman Christopher Veichbacher, CEO of Sanofi, who has served the organization since 2008. The Chairman of the PhRMA Board-along with PhRMA's President, currently John Castellani-has...

A lawsuit filed by an Idaho woman claims negligence on the part of Genzyme, now a subsidiary of Sanofi, led to persistent drug shortages and consequently the death of her husband. Shortages of Fabrazyme, used to treat Fabry Disease, started in 2009 when viral contamination was discovered at a Genzyme manufacturing facility. Shortages were further exacerbated when additional contamination was found by the US Food and Drug Administration later in 2009, leading to a situati...

Speaking to Reuters on Thursday, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Chairman and Sanofi SA CEO Chris Viehbacher said that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) needs to offer more guidance on their risk and benefit determinations for diet pills. "To make sure we're not ignoring unmet needs in primary care, we need a lot more clarity around the risk-benefit so there's predictability when we invest in these products," said Viehbacher. FDA...

Global pharmaceutical companies-and in particular western pharmaceutical companies-are shying away from buying or partnering with Indian generics manufacturers because of quality and compliance issues , write WSJ journalists Namrate Nandakumar and C.H. Unnikrishnan. Companies, including Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis, and Daiichi Sankyo have been hit with fines, delays, or both after acquiring or partnering with Indian generics manufactures.  Daiichi Sankyo, for instance...