WHO Director: ‘All of humanity is under threat’? April 30, 2009

The World Health Organization raised its pandemic alert for swine flu to the second highest level Wednesday, meaning that it believes a global outbreak of the swine flu virus is imminent.   In doing so, Director Margaret Chan used some very strong language to warn of the potential of the disease.  “All countries should immediately [...]

The making of the now infamous Pfizer rat commercial April 28, 2009

In response to our most popular post ever, this is the making of the Pfizer ‘rat commercial’.
The ad was produced and aired in the United Kingdom across a variety of movie theaters in response to a study which found 10% of men in the UK purchase prescription-only medicines from unregulated sources. [...]

Latest on the Swine Flu, as the life sciences industry responds April 27, 2009

Discussion about the swine flu is sweeping the country & the world as industry experts, health officials and citizens have their attention drawn to the potential global pandemic. We’ve put together a quick list of facts & updates on Beaker, along with the latest video from the CDC, to help bring you up [...]

Pfizer-sponsored ad draws controversy overseas…and it’s gross April 25, 2009

We’ll have more details in this week’s BeakerBeat, yet we could not avoid bringing this video to our users attention.
Not sure which ad agency thought this was appropriate. The message may be both necessary & effective…but the visual is repulsive.

Genentech gets the last laugh with Roche? April 23, 2009

One of the pivotal negotiating points of the longstanding acquisition of Genentech by Roche was the forthcoming study of Avastin in colon cancer. The Avastin trial was widely reported as a key element to the negotiations. As Roche & Genentech openly debated a fair value for DNA shares, both sides played the PR game as [...]

A Rough Day at Merck April 22, 2009

One of the stars in the Merck pipeline is telcagepant, a new migraine treatment expected for submission to the FDA later this year. Many had the drug pegged as an eventual blockbuster for the company.  But today Merck announced that it would delay the regulatory submission, which throws the product to an uncertain [...]

Bill George@Google: Leadership for the Life Sciences Industry April 20, 2009

A life sciences industry icon, Bill George is the former chairman & CEO of Medtronic. Under his leadership, Medtronic’s market capitalization grew from just under $1 billion to over $60 billion, averaging 35 percent year over year growth.
Today, Professor George teaches management practice at Harvard Business School and occasionally does speaking engagements. [...]

The first big changes at Genentech April 17, 2009

Roche has made its first moves now that it holds the keys to the Genentech campus in South San Francisco. From Roche’s press release earlier this week: “Following the completion of the Genentech transaction Roche today announced the successful start of the integration.”
Not sure how they define success, yet here are the [...]

Stay connected with Beaker April 17, 2009

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Pfizer’s Viagra boxers from a different point of view April 16, 2009

Following one of our most popular blog posts ever (see below), we thought an update was in order.  While the world is blogging and all a-Twitter about Pfizer’s ruffled britches, we decided to figure out what else has been used to promote their popular blue pill.
Did you know about the Viagra key chain with a [...]