AstraZeneca has finalized its agreement with US federal and state entities, under which it will pay $520 million to resolve allegations that it marketed the anti-psychotic drug Seroquel for off-label uses.

An evaluation conducted by Ernst & Young assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of the European Medicines Agency has largely praised the agency; however, a number of strategic and operational recommendations for further improvements have also been made.

Despite pharma's upcoming peak years of patent expiries and the threat of generic competition, growth during the next 5 years is expected to be strong with the global market for pharmaceuticals forecast to reach more than $1 trillion by 2014, according to IMS Health.

The Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates is raising concerns over a recently introduced bill in the US Senate, which seeks to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act.

INTERPHEX 2010 will take place this week at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York.

After several years of debate and review, the US Food and Drug Administration is calling for the removal of metered-dose inhalers.

FDA Issues Warning Letters to Astellas, GSK, And Novartis; Sandoz Acquires Oriel Therapeutics; And More.

PharmTech's monthly newsletter, Equipment and Processing Report, reviews the Editor's Picks for the April 2010 edition from Camfil Farr and K-Tron.

The green movement promises to make life-sciences manufacturing processes more environmentally friendly.

Orphan drugs may help pharma companies to reduce the impact of revenue loss caused by patent expiries of blockbuster drugs, according to market analysts Frost & Sullivan.

Regenerative medicine has been described as holding the "promise of cures" by speakers at the first annual Translational Regenerative Medicine Forum, which was held last week in the US.

The US Pharmacopeial Convention will hold its governance meeting next week in Washington, DC.

FDA Issues Warning Letters to Six US Medical Spas; and More.

Cephalon Completes Acquisition of Mepha; Xcellerex Appoints President and CEO; and More.

The US Food and Drug Administration held a public meeting in Rockville, Maryland, on April 12, 2010, to solicit stakeholders' comments about the Prescription Drug User Fee Act program.

Orphan drugs may help pharmaceutical companies reduce the effect of revenue loss caused by patent expirations of blockbuster drugs, according to Frost and Sullivan.

sanofi-aventis outlined an investment plan for adapting its chemical and biotechnology manufacturing facilities in France during the next four years.

FDA Approves New Formulation For OxyContin To Discourage Misuse And Abuse.

The US Pharmacopeial Convention welcomed Minghao Zhou of China's Zhejiang Provincial Institute for Food and Drug Control.

Eli Lily Wins Court Battle; Genzyme Appoints COO; And More.

Collaboration has been key to the pharmacopeia's achievement.

As drug manufacturing and standards grow, pharmacopeias must adapt to meet new challenges.

As the industry continues to evolve, do we know where we're headed?

Laboratory personnel share interesting tales as well as stories of unexpected tails.

As demand for global vaccine development and production grows, all eyes are turning to Asia.

The BIO convention, and healthcare reform, could re-energize biotech.

New information improves an organization's guide to building manufacturing facilities.

Change is a part of life which some fear whilst others thrive. In the commercial world, a fundamental aspect of good management is to apply strategic insight to react to change in order to survive and grow. The pharmaceutical industry, as with every industry, is constantly exposed to new threats. Companies are all too painfully aware that the external threats that it currently faces, as well as the threat of their own drying pipelines, are forcing it to adapt and to stay on the lookout for new opportunities - now more than ever.