News | Latest Breaking News Stories & Headlines

Roche has in recent years boasted one of the most productive research pipelines in the industry

Double blow for Roche as studies fail

Roche is to discontinue a late-stage study of an experimental Alzheimer's drug after it failed to prove effective.

GlaxoSmithKline drops 'established products' sale plans

GSK drops plan to sell off older drugs business

GlaxoSmithKline has decided not to sell a portfolio of older drugs marketed in North America and Europe after considering offers from potential buyers.

Business • 05 Dec 14

The Federal Trade Commission clears Medtronic's $42.9 billion deal to buy Dublin-based Covidien

Medtronic gets US clearance to buy Covidien

US competition authorities have approved a pair of major deals in the medical field, including Medtronic's purchase of Covidien.

Business • 27 Nov 14

Shire's third quarter revenue up nearly a third at $1.6 billion

Shire raises guidance again after Q3 earnings jump

Pharmaceutical firm Shire has today raised its guidance for full-year earnings.

Business • 24 Oct 14

One of the men is being held at Kevin Street Garda Station

Four held over drugs and gun haul

Three men and a woman have been arrested in connection with the seizure of drugs and guns in Dublin.

News • 24 Aug 14

AbbVie has raised its offer for Shire to £30.1 billion in third takeover bid

AbbVie ups bid for drugmaker Shire to £30 billion

AbbVie raised its offer for Shire to £30.1 billion today, hoping to win over its reluctant target after three earlier offers were rejected.

Business • 08 Jul 14

About half of the consumption is domestic, much of it in coffee shops and brothels

Sex & drugs boost Dutch economy by €2.5bn annually

The Netherlands' famous red light districts and "coffee" shops contribute €2.5bn a year to the national economy, or slightly more than the country’s consumption of cheese, Dutch authorities said.

News • 25 Jun 14

The health insurance provider said it has boosted its solvency levels to €389m

Vhi announces after-tax profits of €65m for 2013

Ireland's largest health insurance provider, Vhi Healthcare, has announced an annual surplus after tax of €65m.

News • 17 Jun 14

UCD students' union said some of its members had fallen ill after taking a cocktail of drugs

Gardaí issue 'scuzz' drug warning

Gardaí are seriously concerned about a drug known as 'scuzz' which has caused up to seven people to be hospitalised over the past few days.

News • 15 May 14

AstraZeneca on Friday rejected a £63 billion bid from Pfizer

Pfizer, AstraZeneca called into 2 UK committees

Senior management from Pfizer and AstraZeneca will be called before a British parliamentary committee to answer questions on a potential takeover deal, the committee chairman said.

Business • 06 May 14

AstraZeneca rejects latest offer from Pfizer

AstraZeneca rejects Pfizer's latest bid

US drugmaker Pfizer today raised its offer for AstraZeneca to £63 billion, but the British company promptly rejected the proposal.

Business • 02 May 14

The two men were detained at Tallaght Garda Station

Drugs, cars and firearm seized in Tallaght

Two men were arrested after cannabis herb and cocaine were recovered in a garda raid in Tallaght along with a firearm and four cars that were believed to be stolen.

News • 17 Apr 14

16% of cases showed that patients were given doses too low to have any preventative effect

Doctors warned over incorrect drug doses

The Health Service Executive has written to 2,500 doctors warning them of the dangers of incorrectly prescribing blood-thinning drugs.

News • 09 Mar 14

Sales of Prizer's oncology drugs jumped 24% in the quarter to $407m

Pfizer's third quarter profit beats estimates

Pfizer today reported better than expected third-quarter earnings today, helped by cuts in costs and growing sales of recently approved cancer medicines.

Business • 29 Oct 13

The man is being held at Bray Garda Station

Arrest after drugs find in Co Wicklow

A man has been arrested after cannabis plants with an estimated street value of €90,000 were seized in Co Wicklow.

News • 03 Oct 13

File being prepared for DPP after cannabis plants found by gardaí in Co Cork

Two men released after Co Cork drugs find

Two men, aged in their mid-50s and late 70s, have been released without charge after they were arrested following a cannabis plant seizure in Co Cork.

News • 28 Sep 13

People more tolerant of medicinal cannabis

A new report has indicated that people are becoming more tolerant of cannabis use for medicinal purposes.

News • 02 Jul 13

The report shows that there is a high risk group of intravenous drug users showing a high incidence of unsafe injecting practices

Govt urged to open injection centres for addicts

The Government says it is open to the idea of drug injection rooms for addicts.

News • 28 May 13

Demand growing for Roche's cancer drugs and diagnostic tests

Roche posts modest profit gain for 2012

Swiss drug maker Roche Holding posted a 2.4% increase in its full year profits as demand grew for its cancer medicines and diagnostic tests used by clinical laboratories.

Business • 30 Jan 13

J&J reports net income of $2.57 billion for fourth quarter

Johnson & Johnson profit jumps on higher sales

Higher sales helped Johnson & Johnson post a much bigger fourth-quarter profit than a year ago, when several charges depressed results.

Business • 22 Jan 13

'Patent cliff' will affect pharma sales - Bruton

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation has told the Dáil that clearly there is going to be a "patent cliff" in the pharmaceutical sector.

Business • 22 Nov 12

There was an increase in the use of anti-depressants among men and 15-34 year olds

Increase in use of sedatives and anti-depressants

A report into the use of sedatives, tranquillisers and anti-depressants has shown a slight increase between 2007 and 2011.

News • 23 Oct 12

The new deal will provide for cuts in prices for patients who pay for drugs

New drug price deal to save over €400m

A three-year agreement has been reached between the pharmaceutical industry and the State on drug prices, which is expected to yield savings of over €400m.

News • 15 Oct 12

Heriberto Lazcano was killed in gun battle with Mexican Marines

Body of slain Mexican drug lord stolen

An armed group stole the body of the slain leader of Mexico's Zetas drug cartel from a funeral home in northern Mexico, just hours after he was killed in a gun battle with Marines.

News • 09 Oct 12

GSK sells Australian drugs to Aspen

GlaxoSmithKline advanced its clear-out of non-core drugs today with a deal to sell 25 older brands marketed in Australia to South Africa's Aspen Pharmacare for £172m sterling.

Business • 15 Aug 12