Indian firm USV plans to spend $56.4m on a new drug formulations unit in Vadodara and $11.3m to upgrade its existing API unit near Mumbai as it eyes expanded capacity and additional sales in Europe.

China’s favorite domestic drug maker seems to have a warning for the industry - innovate or halt. After the recent round of “4+7” centralized procurement saw some off-patent drugs priced at pennies, the leading Chinese firm Hengrui has decided to halve its generics portfolio to focus on innovative new drugs.

In this podcast discussion, Generics Bulletin’s David Wallace talks to Informa Pharma Consulting’s Duncan Emerton about Celltrion’s CHMP nod for subcutaneous Remsima, the product’s imminent approval and launch, and what it means for the future of biosimilars.

Alvogen has signed marketing deals with local firms in Canada, Israel and South Korea for the teriparatide drug it has licensed from Pfenex. In the US, Pfenex has just completed a human factors study it feels should support a therapeutic equivalence rating for its Forteo rival.

Indian stock market regulator SEBI has slapped the billionaire founder of Aurobindo Pharma, along with other promoters of the company, with a more than $3m fine for allegedly violating insider trading norms over a string of licensing agreements with multinational Pfizer.

Lannett has struck a deal giving it exclusive US distribution rights for 10 years to a generic version of Advair Diskus being developed by China’s Respirent.

Leaked political proposals to stop German insurance funds awarding tender contracts to just one supplier would not help to prevent drug shortages, insists the leading AOK group of funds.

Indian firm USV plans to spend $56.4m on a new drug formulations unit in Vadodara and $11.3m to upgrade its existing API unit near Mumbai as it eyes expanded capacity and additional sales in Europe.

Suanfarma acquires an API manufacturing facility in Italy to accelerate its growth in Europe, while CapsCanada relocates its headquarters as part of its growth strategy. Meanwhile, Glenmark, Aurobindo and Cipla struggle with quality issues.

After recently rebranding the company, Neuraxpharm has put expansion plans in place that have allowed it to reach over 70% of the European central nervous system market, resulting in projections of organic sales growth of 10% and gross sales of €400m for this year.

Glenmark says its reorganization into three entities – one focused on generics and specialty drugs, the second on APIs and the third on new drug innovation – will be wrapped up by year-end as it seeks to accelerate sluggish earnings and reduce heavy debt.

Having swelled its pipeline of US injectable drugs through an acquisition, ANI Pharmaceuticals is on the lookout for attractive manufacturing assets.

Teva has announced a leadership change in its global operations, while Lupin has made a key appointment to focus on quality and compliance. Among other changes in leadership roles, Olainfarm has seen one of its six management board members resign. 

Alvotech has brought in a Pfizer biosimilars specialist as chief scientific officer, while Lupin has recruited a women’s health expert to head its US Specialty business. And Ian Read is to retire as Pfizer’s chairman at the start of next year.  

Christoph Stoller, Teva’s general manager for Germany and Austria, has just been announced as president of European off-patent industry association Medicines for Europe with a two-year mandate. In an exclusive interview, he sets out the organization’s immediate priorities.