Sanofi Aventis

Over the weekend, with the bird flu threat getting major media play, details of the government's plan for coping with a pandemic were emerging. Officials said they expect local agencies to take the lead in the event of an outbreak. Less stress is placed on military involvement than critics had feared. The Department of Health and Human Services said it thinks a major outbreak could kill as many as 1.9 million Americans and affect about half the population. Anxiety was heightened by …

The Department of Health and Human Services is making preparations to fight a potential outbreak of pandemic influenza. On Wednesday, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said the administration will ask Congress for between $6 billion and $10 billion to bolster vaccine production in the US and develop adequate stockpiles of antiviral drugs. In the short term, the development is good news for Sanofi-Aventis, which announced a successful clinical trial of an experimental vaccine in August. It is …

> The Department of Health and Human Services says it has reached terms with Sanofi-Aventis on a deal which will see the French pharma company produce its experimental HN51 vaccine. Story

> Private equity firm Blackstone is paying $1.7 billion for specialist health insurer UICI. Story

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An FDA review panel gave the go ahead for Exubera to go on the US market.  The Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee approved a new inhaled version of insulin by a vote of 7-2. Supporters say Exubera, which was developed in a three-way partnership by Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis and Nektar Therapeutics, represents a major advance for diabetics, who until now had no choice but to endure often painful daily injections.

The approval came despite concern on the part of …

> Infection has become a major concern as EPA tests found bacteria levels in the flood waters in and around New Orleans at 10 times the dangerous level. Story (Wall Street Journal sub. req.)

> An FDA advisory committee is expected to rule today on whether or not to approve an inhaled version of insulin made by Sanofi-Aventis and Pfizer. …

While the potential for a shortage like the one last year appears to have diminished, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still approaching this year's flu season with caution. The agency released a plan Thursday which prioritizes the order in which groups should be given shots: people 65 and older, pregnant women, children between six and 23 months and healthcare personnel responsible for direct patient care.

The CDC estimates 75 million doses of flu vaccine are …

Two top organizations in the fight against diabetes said they doubt that a condition known as metabolic syndrome exists. The American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes said that doctors should not diagnose patients with the condition until more evidence is available. The announcement is a blow for pharma companies, such as Sanofi-Aventis, hoping to increase sales by marketing treatments for the condition. Metabolic syndrome is commonly said to be …

> The HN51 virus is making headlines, but according to the World Health Organization, the real killer in Asia today is air pollution, which is claiming thousands of lives every month. Story

> Critics target church-owned, non-profit hospitals, saying they are making huge profits while overcharging those who cannot afford to pay for …

> Austin, Texas, becomes the first municipality in the nation to make it illegal for pharmacists to refuse to dispense prescription drugs in "conscience cases." Story

> Chutes & Ladders: Troubled King/Drew in Los Angeles gets a new CEO: Antoinette Smith Epps arrives from Birmingham, Alabama's Baptist Health. …

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine production wing of French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-Aventis, appears to be pulling ahead in the race to develop a successful bird flu vaccine. A source inside the company tells The Wall Street Journal that it may release results of initial tests on 450 human patients as early as today. That would put the company in the position of being first to go to the FDA for approval of a vaccine.

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