The drugmaker reported disappointing first-quarter profit on weak US sales and slashed its 2008 forecast, pushing its stock down 23 percent to their lowest levels since 2004. Oral contraceptive sales fell short, and results were hurt by surprising competition and pricing pressure on a new generic of an osteoporosis drug. Sales of its Plan B [...]

This issue gets thornier all the time. A federal appeals court let stand a lower court ruling that allows Washington state pharmacists to refuse to sell the Plan B emergency contraceptive pill on religious grounds.
The pill, which is sold by Barr Laboratories, prevents fertilized eggs from implanting, which some people believe is the same as [...]

Hired someone new and exciting? Promoted a rising star? Finally solved that hard-to-fill spot? Share the news with us and we’ll share with it others. That’s right. Send us your announcements and we’ll find a home for them. Don’t be shy. Everyone wants to know who is coming and going, especially with all the layoffs [...]

A group of pharmacists is asking the Illinois Supreme Court to throw out a rule that forces them to dispense the Plan B emergency contraception pill despite their moral objections, claiming it amounts to illegal coercion, the Associated Press reports. The pill, which is sold by Barr Labs, is generally available over the counter to [...]

‘Tis the middle of the week and that can only mean one thing - a lot to do. For instance, Pfizer will brief Wall Street on its progress, or lack thereof, but more on that later. For now, let’s all grab a cup of something hot, or a bottle of water if you prefer, and [...]

Barr Pharmaceuticals reached the settlement with 34 states, which sued the drugmaker for illegally blocking the sale of a lower-priced generic of the Ovcon contraceptive. The lawsuit, which was filed in November 2005 in Washington, DC, accused Warner Chilcott of paying Barr $20 million so it wouldn’t produce a copycat, according to a statement by [...]

The week may be winding down, but not the pace of news from around the world. Here are some of the latest that have trickled in. We hope these will help you feel caught up as you take that lunch or afternoon respite…
Novartis’ Galvus Combo And Tasigna Get EU Approval (Bloomberg News)
Barr Labs Spent $660K [...]

Just returned from a long meeting? Wondering what you may have missed? Here are a few things….
Morning-After Pill Sells Like There’s No Tomorrow (Yahoo/AP)
Court Boosts Roche’s Bid For Ventana Medical (AZCentral.com/AP)
India May Soon Rank Among World’s Largest Drug Markets (Bloomberg News)

In a rare bit of public squabbling, a senior Justice Department official is disagreeing with recent statements by Federal Trade Commissioner J. Thomas Rosch that payments by brand-name drugmakers to generic rivals should be illegal.
David Meyer, deputy assistant attorney general in DOJ’s antitrust division, says he doesn’t believe that so-called reverse payments should be considered [...]

For the past few months, Watson Pharmaceuticals gave Barr ceo Bruce Downey a dose of his own medicine. Three times, Barr’s application for the Seasonale oral contraceptive was rejected by the US Patent and Trademark Office. So last fall, Watson began selling a generic. Downey, who makes a living challenging brand-name companies, had to settle [...]