Schering's willingness to take over the marketing responsibilities for Novartis's Foradil respiratory drug, which has been largely superseded by combination products, to some degree measures the depths of Schering's troubles. But it also indicates the kinds of competition small-company in-licensers are likely to face. A whole industry of in-licensing focused players has grown up to sell the non-core products of Big Pharma: if Schering is any indication, the competition for these products is likely to get even more intense.

New data seems to indicate an uptick in the percentage of premarket applications that receive a major deficiency letter. See what US FDA spokesperson Alison Hunt said about strategies to avoid them.

Japanese firm says it will end SHP647 development after trying unsuccessfully to find takers for GI drug similar to its blockbuster Entyvio, first flagged by European authorities over competition worries.