The apparent failure illustrates the problems for drug firms like Pfizer as they spend millions to license drugs developed by other companies.
This is big news because azithromycin, sold by Pfizer as Zithromax and also available as a generic, is one of the most-used antibiotics because of its ease of use and effectiveness against a wide range of bacteria.
The news is a setback for Pfizer as it aims to build a large arsenal of anti-cancer medicines to help it grow earnings before big sellers like Lipitor, the top-selling medicine in the world, lose patent protection in coming years.
One would think that PhRMA would be using the GSK and Pfizer examples as a way to help move the industry forward.
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That is exactly what Pfizer needs as it looks to fill the void that will be left by Lipitor when it loses patent proteciton in 2010.
Last year Jackson sold 1.7 million mice to companies such as Glaxo, Pfizer and Genentech, as well as to institutions such as Johns Hopkins University and Stanford University.
Some, such as Pfizer, have repeatedly embraced the concept and others, such as GlaxoSmithKline, downplay its utility.
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Earnings were also hurt as Pfizer entered into a period many analysts are calling a patent black hole, as many of its biggest drugs go generic.
Never mind that a bidding war will inevitably result in an overpriced Biogen--current Pfizer shareholders might do just as well if Pfizer delivers a few upside surprises from its own labs.
Meanwhile, as Pfizer had to conduct long safety studies to deal with the lung capacity issue, insulin shots got less painful as companies like Becton, Dickinson developed less painful needles and drug firms started to market insulin in easy-to-use pre-packaged "pen" devices.
For instance, misoprostol, a drug used to induce labor, was approved as a Pfizer treatment for pain and inflammation, never as a medicine to be used in childbirth.
The Merck compound is in the same class of drugs as a Pfizer drug called torcetrapib that was hailed a few years ago as the next big heart drug.
Drug giants such as Pfizer and Merck actually may be reticent to test their drugs in cancer.
It is this decision that Pfizer is using as the basis for its new ads.
OFCs to minimise taxes is to send money offshore and keep it there, as Pfizer did.
Investors may want to exercise caution in stocks of firms such as Pfizer, Merck, Lilly, and Bristol-Myers.
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Large pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Merck have so far steered clear of stem cell therapy.
Mr Kindler joined Pfizer in 2002 as general counsel after holding a senior legal post at McDonald's.
Now, it is losing market share rapidly to competitors such as Pfizer's Zoloft and SmithKline Beecham's Paxil.
People still think of it as Pfizer 's main drug, when in fact it's a relatively modest seller.
George Lorch was named as named as chairman on Monday, as Pfizer raised its dividend this week.
In the past two years, revenue has tripled and the company has such clients as Pfizer , Unocal and Boeing .
His timing was good, as Pfizer this April started a new regenerative-medicine unit devoted to therapies involving stem cells.
Pfizer is seen as the industry leader, while Merck's prospects are considered blah.
What effect, then, will the merger have on drug manufacturers such as Pfizer , Merck or Bristol-Myers Squibb ?
Some drug firms, such as Pfizer, are collaborating with the Chinese government to find out how traditional therapies act.
He hopes to win converts as Pfizer finds success, but is under no illusion about the difficulty of the task.
Still, throngs of patients on other cholesterol drugs might switch if the new Pfizer remedy is as potent as researchers hope.
Prominent doctors are calling for congressional investigations, and European regulators are scrutinizing the safety of similar drugs such as Pfizer's Bextra and Celebrex.
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