Most popular news headlines for Friday, August 1 2014

Cafepharma readers were still interested in the recently announced Amgen layoffs, as the most popular news article linked on Friday was a 24/7 Wall St piece - Do Layoffs in Biotech Send the Right Message?  Using the recent Amgen announcement as an example, the article posits that the biotech is behaving more like a Big Pharma company with such massive layoffs.

The second most popular new link Friday was WSJ Journal/Pharmalot’s  As Sanofi Pushes to Grow Faster, a Key U.S. Exec is Leaving.”  Apparently Anne Whitaker, a GSK veteran, will soon be leaving her Sanofi post as head of North American operations.

Forbes’ “The Best Blood Cancer Drug Launch Ever” was the third most popular link Friday. The article chronicles Pharmacyclics’ success in launching the lymphoma drug Imbruvica (which is co-promoted by JNJ).

Finally, the FDA approval of the Lilly/Boehringer diabetes drug Jardiance was discussed is the fourth most popular link in Yahoo/AP’s “FDA approves Lilly, Boehringer diabetes drug.”  The once-daily drug was approved for certain Type II diabetics, and has already been approved in Europe.