Recent and upcoming US FDA advisory committee meetings and a summary of topics covered.

The BeNeLuxAI initiative was among the many topics covered at the DIA Europe 2019 conference in Austria last week. The cross-country coalition has some new drugs in its sights for joint pricing talks and the conference was given an insight into the workings of the collaboration by a Belgian health department advisor close to the initiative.

There was little on specific legislative proposals and a lot of time discussing broad questions that Congress has been asking for years about drug pricing.

Study using US FDA’s Information Exchange and Data Transformation (INFORMED) program will focus on shift from weight-based to flat dosing for Opdivo and Keytruda.

President Trump’s 2019 State of the Union Address broadly touched on the themes of funding childhood cancer research, drug pricing and eliminating HIV.

Jury finds one comment in an investor call was false or misleading, limits damages award to $4.50 per share, or $64,000 for the lead plaintiff, a fraction of what was sought. Case suggests that sometimes taking a stock drop case to trial may limit liability.

German firm Dr. Kade moves into the OTC dermatology category with an all-share acquisition of Sirius, which owns and markets the Siriderma Med range of OTC neurodermatitis and psoriasis treatments in Germany and will remain an independent company operating from Monheim am Rhein.

A deal on the European supplementary protection certificate manufacturing waiver has been agreed by the European Council, Parliament and the European Commission, providing a concrete path for a regulation to move forward, albeit with compromises on several key provisions. Meanwhile, the European off-patent and brand industries remain at odds over the benefits of the waiver.

FDA’s drug center has proposed a new program that would allow pharmaceutical manufacturers to attest that drug products submitted for review conform to certain consensus quality standards. The agency said that such a program would improve drug quality, encourage the development of emerging technology and ensure smoother drug reviews.

The US drug regulator may now rely on a total of 22 EU member states whose inspection results can replace its own inspections.

Pfizer consumer health sales up 4% to $3.6bn in 2018 as it prepares to move business into JV with GSK anticipated to close in the second half of 2019. Following 2% growth in 2017, a flat year in 2016 and a dip in 2015, Pfizer's view is confirmed of consumer health as a reliable revenue stream but not a strong growth driver.

Former Biotene owner Laclede ordered by US federal judge to stop using brand, now owned by GSK, to promote its competing line of Salivea dry mouth products. But judge rejected GSK’s request that the Salivea dry mouth product marketers are subject to a lifetime non-compete agreement.