New Cephalosporin Antibiotic Approved

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval to Spectracef (cefditoren) by TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc. Spectracef, a new cephalosporin antibiotic, is indicated for the treatment of several mild to moderate infections in adults and adolescents 12 years and older.

Diarrhea, nausea and vaginal moniliasis were the most commonly reported side effects in clinical trials. Overall, side effects of Spectracef were generally mild and self-limiting, according to a company news release.

Takeda profit down 39 pct, forecasts recovery ahead

TOKYO, - Takeda Pharmaceutical Co (4502.T), Japan's biggest drugmaker, reported on Monday a 39 percent drop in annual recurring profit to an eight-year low due to costly acquisitions and forecast a 22 percent rise this year.

Recurring profit fell to 327.2 billion yen ($3.3 billion) in the year ended on March 31 as Takeda acquired U.S. biotech firm Millennium Pharmaceuticals and absorbed its part of a former U.S. joint venture TAP Pharmaceuticals.

Joining other drugmakers using acquisitions to stave off earnings falls on patent expirations, Takeda is seeking to capitalise on Millennium's cancer drug pipeline and TAP's marketing network.

Takeda suffered a drug development setback in March, triggering concerns that it may not have a timely replacement for its blockbuster diabetes drug Actos which will lose U.S. patent protection in 2011 and may have to spend more in the coming year to develop its key drug candidate [ID:nT239013].

Takeda forecast a recurring profit of 400 billion yen in the year to March 2010, short of a consensus forecast of 448.43 billion yen in a poll of 20 analysts by Thomson Reuters.