Bayer plans largest-ever study for blood-clot drug

From Reuters:
Bayer is planning a late-stage study for its promising blood-clot drug rivaroxaban for hospitalised patients with internal diseases, the German drugs and chemicals group said on Tuesday.

"It is planned for a total of about 50,000 patients to take part in these studies, making it the largest clinical study programme Bayer has ever undertaken," Chief Executive Werner Wenning told reporters. Wenning said rivaroxaban, which the company wants to market under the trade name Xarelto, is the most promising product in its pipeline.

Rivaroxaban's current indications are prevention of venous thromboembolism, treatment of deep-vein thrombosis, stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation and acute coronary syndrome. ...more

Ontario hospital sued by Bayer

From the National Post:
A major pharmaceutical company has taken the unusual step of suing an Ontario hospital for patent infringement, alleging the institution effectively duplicated a patented Bayer Inc. antibiotic by diluting a more concentrated, generic version of the same drug.

The case is an extraordinary example of the lengths to which pharmaceutical companies will go to defend their intellectual property - and is likely to succeed in court, said medical and patent-law experts. However, the lawsuit may well backfire on the public relations front, they predicted.

"I think this is going to look, from Bayer's point of view, pretty petty," said Joel Lexchin, an emergency doctor and health policy professor at Toronto's York University.

The hospital is probably doing this for a small number of patients, costing Bayer almost zilch in terms of lost sales. If this drives up hospital costs, Bayer, I don't think, would look very good." ...more