The week in pharma: action, reaction and insight – week to July 8

By Barbara Obstoj-Cardwell. Managing editor

Oxford Biomedica early last week signed a new three-year agreement with UK pharma major AstraZeneca for future production of its COVID-19 vaccine, Vaxzevria. The following day, AstraZeneca announced a heavily-backloaded deal worth as much as $1.27 billion to acquire TeneoTwo to expand its blood cancer pipeline. Norway’s Nordic Nanovector provided a negative update on its follicular lymphoma candidate, Betalutin, saying it would drop further development. US biotech CytomX Therapeutics revealed that it could only continue the development of breast cancer candidate, praluzatamab ravtansine, if it finds a partner to share costs. Intercept Pharmaceuticals last Thursday released new data on its NASH candidate obeticholic acid, which is sees as providing evidence of a refiling of a new drug application (NDA) with the US Food and Drug Administration.

Oxford Biomedica COVID-19 vaccine and Kymriah news encouraging