University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) and SHINE Europe have secured a 10.5 million euro ($11 million) grant to advance European production of terbium isotopes for cancer treatments. 17 October 2024
Danish dermatology focused LEO Pharma has announced the launch of Anzupgo (delgocitinib) cream in Germany for the treatment of adult patients with moderate to severe chronic hand eczema (CHE), for whom topical corticosteroids are inadequate or inappropriate. 15 October 2024
French pharma major Sanofi revealed it has entered into negotiations with private equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) for the potential sale of a 50% controlling stake in Opella, its consumer healthcare business. 14 October 2024
The UK’s new 2024 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing, access, and growth (VPAG) came into force at the beginning of January this year. 4 October 2024
French drugmaker Mitem Pharmavhas the worldwide acquisition of Desferal (deferoxamine), a major MITM in hematology, from Swiss giant Novartis. 25 September 2024
The Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) is further expanding its focus on life sciences by opening an institute for biomedical artificial intelligence (AI) based on a 150 million euros ($166.8 million) funding from the German non-profit Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation (BIS). 18 September 2024
Novartis is building two new radioligand therapy (RLT) manufacturing facilities in the USA to enhance its supply chain for cancer treatments. This move supports the growing use of RLTs, a form of precision medicine that targets tumors with radiation. 6 September 2024
Belgium’s largest drugmaker UCB announced a strategic divestment deal in China, underscoring its strategic shift towards innovation and partnership in one of the world’s fastest-growing pharmaceutical markets. 27 August 2024
The UK’s largest pharma company AstraZeneca has rejected claims that it is moving its vaccine operations to the USA, according to media reports. 23 August 2024
Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma announced the termination of its exclusive sales rights agreements with AnGes for the HGF gene therapy product, Collategene (beperminogene perplasmid) intramuscular injection targeting peripheral arterial diseases in Japan and the USA. 23 August 2024
UK pharma major AstraZeneca has become the only current UK-lis¬ted company to reach a £200 billion ($256.4 billion) valuation, the Financial Times reported today, noting that it is a vindication of the company’s bet on developing a leading portfolio of cancer drugs. 14 August 2024
US pharma giant Pfizer has announced the publication of real-world results from a cohort of the longitudinal, observational Phase IV THAOS (Transthyretin Amyloidosis Outcomes Survey) study in the Journal of Cardiac Failure. 8 August 2024
Japanese drugmaker Shionogi says that its New Drug Application (NDA) for cefiderocol has been accepted for review by the Center for Drug Evaluation, National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). 5 August 2024
Germany’s Bayer has submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration for approval to market elinzanetant for moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms (VMS), commonly known as hot flashes, associated with menopause. 2 August 2024
Spanish plasma-derived medicines company Grifols announced with the Andorran government the cancellation of the immunology research center planned for the parish of Ordino. 29 July 2024
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Palforzia (peanut [Arachis hypogaea] allergen powder-dnfp] to include initiation of treatment, up-dosing and maintenance in individuals ages one through three years. 27 July 2024
Vividion Therapeutics, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Germany’s Bayer, today announced it will expand its global innovation capabilities with a new research and development (R&D) center and corporate headquarters in San Diego, California. 23 July 2024
US pharm major Eli Lilly on Friday revealed via a social media posting that it has been granted approval from the Chinese National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) to sell tirzepatide for weight loss in the country. 20 July 2024
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a draft guidance for industry, “Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Developing Drugs for Treatment,” to help sponsors in the clinical development of drugs to treat pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). 19 July 2024
Anglo-Irish firm Poolbeg Pharma has announced that a number of new investors have expressed interest in acquiring up to £1.6 million ($2.1 million) in shares of the company which are currently locked-up and held in trust by Croft Nominees as a result of the distribution in specie from Open Orphan. 13 April 2022
The Delhi High Court has issued a permanent injunction against two Indian companies protesting Novartis patent for eltrombopag olamine, an active pharmaceutical ingredient in its brand Revolade, till May 21, 2023. 13 April 2022
The European Commission welcomes the swift adoption by the Council of the proposals to ensure the continued long-term supply of medicines from Great Britain to Northern Ireland and to address outstanding supply concerns in Cyprus, Ireland and Malta – markets that have been historically supplied through or by Great Britain. 13 April 2022
The UK is set to become the first country to pay pharmaceutical companies a fixed fee for supplying antibiotics in an effort to tackle the growing global crisis over resistance to the drugs, according to a draft guidance published today by health technology assessor the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE). 12 April 2022
The new pledge from member companies of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) should drastically increase the availability of innovative medicines in EU countries and decrease the time patients must wait for new medicines by several months. 12 April 2022
Miami-based Veru has announced positive efficacy and safety results from a planned interim analysis of the Phase III COVID-19 trial evaluating oral sabizabulin 9mg versus placebo in 150 hospitalized COVID-19 patients at high risk for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). 11 April 2022
Lundbeck recently completed a global Phase IV, randomized, comparative study exploring the role of vortioxetine as a treatment option between SSRIs and serotonin–noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), the Danish CNS specialist announced today. 11 April 2022
Danish CNS specialist Lundbeck said on Friday it has has appointed Joerg Hornstein as chief financial officer (CFO) and member of its executive management. He will assume the role no later than September 1, 2022, and he will be registered with the Danish Business Authority. 11 April 2022
A Feature on the Japanese pharma market from Patrick Branch, a Partner in LEK's Tokyo office and a member of the firm’s Life Sciences practice. 8 April 2022
The European pharma industry has commissioned a report on drug affordability which highlights its message that overall expenditure on therapies has remained stable. 7 April 2022
The Russian Ministry of Health has prepared a list of 39 anticancer drugs that are likely to be in short supply in the country due to ongoing military conflict between Ukraine and Russia and Western sanctions imposed on Russia, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 7 April 2022
Shares of Texas, USA-based vaccines developer Vaxxinity were up more than 3% to $4.49 pre-market today, as it revealed that the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) will co-fund the ongoing global pivotal Phase III clinical trial of Vaxxinity's next generation UB-612 COVID-19 vaccine candidate as a heterologous - or 'mix-and-match' - booster dose. 7 April 2022
French firm Abionyx Pharma has reported positive interim results from an open-label Phase IIa trial of its acute kidney injury (AKI) candidate CER-001. 7 April 2022
US company Citius Pharmaceuticals today reported top-line results from the pivotal Phase III trial of I/ONTAK (E7777; denileukin diftitox)), an engineered interleukin (IL)-2-diphtheria toxin fusion protein, for the treatment of patients with persistent or recurrent cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). 6 April 2022
The US Food and Drug Administration has just approved Igalmi (dexmedetomidine) sublingual film for the acute treatment of agitation associated with schizophrenia and bipolar I or II disorders in adults. The drug was developed by Connecticut, USA company BioXcel Therapeutics. 6 April 2022
Privately-held German drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim is always the last pharma major to present its annual financial results, and this year’s results have been worth the wait. 6 April 2022