The following statement is being issued by Branstetter, Stranch & Jennings, PLLC regarding In re Prograf Antitrust Litigation.
A lawsuit is currently pending claiming that Astellas Pharma US, Inc. (“Astellas” or “Defendant”) violated state antitrust, unfair competition, consumer protection, and unjust enrichment laws of certain states by delaying the availability of a less expensive generic version of the immunosuppressant prescription drug Prograf® (known as tacrolimus). Plaintiffs allege that Defendant’s conduct caused some consumers and third party payors to pay too much for Prograf in certain states from September 3, 2008 to December 31, 2010 (also referred to as the “Class Damage Period”). This lawsuit does not claim that Prograf is unsafe or ineffective. Astellas denies any wrongdoing.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7933851-prograf-antitrust-class-action-settlement/
Seeking to support men and their loved ones facing the challenges that come with a diagnosis of prostate cancer, USA Rugby, the Australian Rugby Union and Astellas Pharma have partnered to launch the #pass4prostate challenge, a social media campaign designed to generate awareness of prostate cancer and support a donation of up to $125,000 from Astellas to four research and advocacy organizations: Prostate Cancer Foundation, Australia Prostate Cancer Research, Prostate Cancer Foundation Australia and Prostate Cancer Canada.
From August 5 through the end of September – Prostate Cancer Awareness Month – social media users are encouraged to record a video of themselves catching an inanimate object, mentioning why prostate cancer awareness is important to them, and then passing that object, rugby-style, symbolically to a friend or family member. Astellas will donate $5 to prostate cancer advocacy organizations for every qualifying submission with the #pass4prostate hashtag posted to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, up to a maximum contribution of $125,000.
To view the multimedia release visit:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7579051-pass4prostate-challenge-rugby-astellas/
Results from a large retrospective data analysis published in the American Journal of Transplantation (AJT) today, showed that liver transplantation patients who were treated early with Advagraf experienced a significantly increased graft survival benefit of 8% at 3 years post-transplant compared with patients treated with the current standard of care, tacrolimus immediate release (twice daily).
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7451251-advagraf-prolonged-release-tacrolimus/
Urgent action is needed to improve the diagnosis and management of CDI, which is the main cause of hospital-acquired (nosocomial) diarrhoea in industrialised countries.2 In a report launched today, during a meeting hosted by the European Healthcare and Hospital Federation (HOPE), experts from across Europe highlight the current deficiencies in the management of CDI and outline the steps that are needed to address them.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/60637-astellas-report-diagnosis-management-CDI
Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd. today presented The Economist Innovation 2011 award for Bioscience to one of the world’s most influential biomedical engineers, Dr Robert Langer – the man responsible for founding the field of controlled-release drug delivery and tissue engineering.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/astellaspharma/52158/
Raising public awareness of peripheral neuropathic pain (PNP), The Pain Within is a touring exhibition of major European cities which launched today at the 7th congress of the European Federation of IASP Chapters (EFIC) in Hamburg. Top photographer Alex Telfer has worked with patients to capture their experiences in both portraits and visual metaphors for the exhibition, which is sponsored by Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd. It will then tour in other countries in Europe.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/astellastrade/52120/
A new national survey released today shows large percentages of science teachers and parents strongly agree that demonstrating real-life applications in science (87 percent and 72 percent, respectively) can help make science education more interesting for U.S. students. Almost all science teachers (99 percent) and nine in ten parents (90 percent) feel that science education is important, if not very important for a child’s future, but that it needs to be more engaging to capture the attention of children in America today (97 percent and 96 percent, respectively). The survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of iBIO Institute and Astellas Pharma US, Inc. (“Astellas”) included a sample of 235 science teachers and 300 parents with school-age children in kindergarten through 12th grade.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/astellas/46023/
