Thesis (M.Sc.(Chemistry))--University of Pretoria, 2001. / Summaries in Afrikaans and English. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1970. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Aspen Pharmacare, one of the leading pharmaceutical manufacturers in South Africa has embarked on a programme of improving the production processes currently employed at their Port Elizabeth site. With the introduction of new technology at the site and the move towards globalization, it became imperative that Aspen remain competitive in the market. The product of interest in this research, Degoran Plus tablets, is one of the company’s leading brand sellers. Upon investigation, it became apparent that this product created opportunity for process improvement using the new technology. The manufacture of Degoran Plus entails granulation, compression and coating of the product. Most opportunity for improvement was possible in the granulation stage because of the laborious nature of the present process. Degoran Plus tablets had a history of analytical failures, especially with regard to the dissolution rate of the final product, as well as other quality related issues. The product was not considered to be a “through-runner”, which resulted in bad production output, due to continual repeats of not only analysis but also reworks in production. A strategic decision was taken to manufacture Degoran Plus using the Collette Gral granulator as the equipment offered superior mixing capability when compared to the Bear planetary granulator. It was assumed that the granulation process would result in more uniform distribution of the actives. Upon producing a better granule, a final product of superior quality would be attained. The validation protocol stipulates that three samples be taken and tested from the powder mix. Nine samples taken from granulated bulk are treated in the same manner. The validation protocol further stipulates that the first three batches manufactured utilise the new process, and tested according to the protocol. The results obtained from the analysis are evaluated statistically and a conclusion and recommendation were derived based on the evaluation.

Background: Worldwide, prices for cancer drugs have been under downward pressure where several governments have mandated price cuts of branded and generic products. A better alternative to mandated price cuts would be the estimation of a launch price based on drug performance, cost effectiveness and a country’s ability to pay. In this study, the development of a global pricing index for new drugs that encompasses all of these attributes in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is described. Methods: A pharmacoeconomic model was developed to simulate clinical outcomes in mCRC patients receiving chemotherapy with the addition of a “new drug” that improves survival by 1.4, 3 and 6 months. Cost and health state utility data were obtained from cancer centers and oncology nurses (total n=112) in Canada (n=24), Spain (n=24), India (n=24), South Africa (n=16) and Malaysia (n=24). A price per dose was estimated for each survival increment using a target value threshold of three times the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) for each country, as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Multivariable analysis was then used to develop the pricing index, which considers survival benefit, per capita GDP and income dispersion as measured by the Gini coefficient as predictor variables. Results: Higher survival benefits were associated with elevated drug prices, especially in wealthier countries such as Canada and Spain. For a nation like Argentina with a per capita GDP of $15,000 and a Gini coefficient of 51, it is estimated that for a drug which provides a 4 month survival benefit in mCRC, the value based price would be $US 630 per dose. In contrast, the same drug in a wealthier country like Norway could command a price of $US 2,775 and still be considered cost effective according to the WHO criteria. Conclusions: A global pricing index was presented that can be used to estimate a value based price in different countries for new drugs in mCRC. The application of this index to estimate a price based on cost effectiveness would be a good starting point for opening dialogue between the key stakeholders and a better alternative to governments’ mandated price cuts.

Class of 2006 Abstract / Objectives: To examine the influence stock market crashes have on pharmaceutical security prices. More specifically, the objectives are to quantify the stock market abnormal returns and volatility of domestically listed drug companies during periods of stock market crashes. Methods: An event study methodology was performed to determine the impact of stock market crashes on security prices of pharmaceutical firms. Pharmaceutical security price data was obtained from the Center for Research in Securities Prices (CRSP) database. Stock market crashes were identified and economic considerations regarding the nature of security price returns were reviewed including normality, autocorrelation, heteroscedasticity and cross sectional dependence. Results: The estimation period for the study ranged over a period of thirty-five months (-45 to -5) prior to the stock market crash. Mean estimates of the SIMM mean beta parameter ranged from 0.51-1.18 for all companies analyzed within the period of 1929-2001. Mean monthly abnormal returns ranged from 0.0039-0.0348 during the estimation period. Over a period of one, three, and five months the majority of the pharmaceutical industry failed to consistently produce above average abnormal returns. Conclusions: The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of the pharmaceutical industry during ten stock market crashes to verify and or quantify current literature statements about the recession proof nature of the drug sector. The current investigation found that during the estimation periods surrounding the stock market crashes, the pharmaceutical industry did not outperform the average market return.

Includes bibliographical references. / Research and development spending has become increasingly important over the last two decades. Despite this, the South African business community has largely ignored the South African accounting standard for research and development costs, AC 122, issued in 1994. A review of the comments received from a number of respondents to the exposure draft to AC 122 and it's international equivalent, lAS 9 (revised), suggests that the implementation difficulties associated with AC 122 are the major reason for the apparent lack of acceptance of AC 122 by the local accounting profession and industry. This research attempts to identify these implementation concerns, specifically in relation to the pharmaceutical industry, so as to provide guidance for implementing AC 122 in this industry. From an analysis performed of AC 122 and the responses of a number of members of the local and global business community, three main implementation problems associated with AC 122 were identified. These are (a) the appropriate allocation of R & D costs between research costs and development costs, (b) implementing the requirement to capitalise development costs, and (c) determining the most appropriate method and time period for amortising a development asset. The identification of these problems also highlighted that AC 122 is deficient in implementation guidance and requires the exercise of an unusually high level of subjective judgement. This study illustrates that it is possible to develop guidelines for overcoming the problems identified in the pharmaceutical industry. This research also provides an approach for similar research in other R & D intensive industries. However, the time and cost of performing such an exercise is likely to limit the industry approach to accounting for R & D costs. The research led to the conclusion that the accounting standard for research and development costs in South Africa is difficult to apply consistently in practice, and requires amendment if it is to obtain the support of the accountancy profession and commerce.

In an ever increasing competitive environment, pharmaceutical companies keep on expanding. Mergers&Acquisitions (M&A’s) seems to be one of the preferred means of acquiring critical mass and economies of scale. Research has suggested that human resource capability in the post-acquisition implementation is critical. This study intended to explore whether the role of culture in M&A’s are acknowledged at subsidiary level and if so, to establish an applicable framework for managing it. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted in order to gain a deeper understanding of the effect of cultural integration on the M&A process. The data was coded, analysed and collapsed into themes in order to establish the applicability of the framework proposed by Lodorfos&Boateng (2006) and possible amendments to it. Rank order tables were used to measure the relative importance of constructs. Only two thirds of senior management at subsidiary level acknowledged the importance of culture at the time of the M&A, management strategies or plans for dealing with it was found to be inadequate with only fifty percent of interviewees being aware of it. The Lodorfos&Boateng (2006) framework is supported by the data generated in this study, but needs to be amended in terms of leadership role, people orientation and communication. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

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