A new bacterial meningitis vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) now has European approval.Nimenrix was granted marketing authorization for immunization against meningitis caused by bacteria called Neisseria meningitidis. The vaccine protects against four of the six types of the bacterium.Infants and toddlers up 4-years-old are at greatest risk of developing meningitis from this bacteria. The contagious disease [...]

GlaxoSmithKline‘s (NYSE:GSK) kidney cancer drug Votrient now has U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to treat another indication — advanced soft tissue sarcoma.Drug approval means that patients who have this rare cancer will now have access to the first new treatment for soft tissue sarcoma in decades. The rare cancer begins in the muscle, fat [...]

GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) stood ready to field questions about its first quarter financial earnings but everyone seemingly wanted to ask CEO Andrew Witty about the pharmaceutical giant’s $2.6 billion bid to buy Human Genome Sciences (NASDAQ:HGSI).Witty obliged.“We absolutely believe that we are the compelling owner for this business,” Reuters reported Witty saying in a conference call [...]

GlaxoSmithKline‘s (NYSE:GSK) efforts to clear its figurative medicine cabinet of unwanted over-the-counter products continues as the pharma giant reaches a deal to sell a group of consumer brands to Aspen Pharmacare Holdings for $263 million in cash.Brands being sold include constipation reliever Phillips Milk of Magnesia, fever and pain reliever Solpadeine and heartburn product Zantac. [...]

GlaxoSmithKline‘s (NYSE:GSK) courtship of Human Genome Sciences (NASDAQ:HGSI) started with a phone call and then a letter on April 11.GSK CEO Andrew Witty told his counterpart at HGS, Tom Watkins, that the company would offer $13 per share to acquire the Maryland biotechnology company. On that day, HGS stock closed at $7.55 per share. The [...]

Human Genome Sciences‘ (NASDAQ:HGSI) response to GlaxoSmithKline‘s (NYSE:GSK) unsolicited $2.6 billion buyout offer is succinct and direct: It’s not enough.The Maryland company, a longtime drug partner to GSK, disclosed today that the British pharma giant offered to buy the company for $13 per share. That price is an 81 percent premium to HGS’s $7.17 closing [...]

GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) is partnering with California biotechnology company Five Prime Therapeutics to discover new treatments for respiratory disorders.It’s the second drug discovery alliance in two years that involves the companies. In 2010, GSK and FivePrime partnered to find products that treat skeletal muscle disorders, a deal that was expanded last year. Under the new partnership, [...]

This U.S. Supreme Court case won’t rise to the level of debate afforded the Affordable Care Act, but the high court is hearing arguments today on whether GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) pharmaceuticals sales representatives are entitled to overtime pay, a court decision that would affect the entire pharmaceutical industry.Michael Shane Christopher, et al., v. SmithKline Beecham Corporation, [...]

GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) is working with a Japanese biotechnology company to see if that company’s technology can find potential new cancer treatments.GSK’s agreement with Tokyo-based Chiome Bioscience calls for the companies to first conduct a pilot study using Chiome’s proprietary technology. Chiome’s proprietary platform technology can generate antibodies. Under the agreement, GSK and Chiome will generate [...]

GlaxoSmithKline’s (NYSE:GSK) experimental type 2 diabetes treatment albiglutide now has initial results from its seven remaining phase 3 studies of the compound and the company says the data support moving toward a regulatory filing for the drug.The initial positive results follow albiglutide’s failure last year in the first of eight total phase 3 studies. Albiglutide [...]