Despite having little or no presence in the respiratory market, Pharmacia fought off Novartis, Roche and Aventis to win worldwide marketing right to Altana's roflumilast for COPD and asthma--a drug that could become a blockbuster. Altana reckons that Pharmacia, with no similar products of its own that might compete for attention, is strongly committed to roflumilast's success.

A recent segment of CBS News “60 Minutes” discussing potential health benefits from probiotics was highly criticized by groups including the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, the Council for Responsible Nutrition, the Natural Products Association and the International Probiotics Association.

After a 12-month period that has seen Stada make significant investments in generics, biosimilars and consumer healthcare, CEO Peter Goldschmidt tells Generics Bulletin that the firm does not intend to stop there, as it pursues both organic and inorganic growth opportunities.