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
Zevra Therapeutics revealed that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has indicated it will convene a meeting with the recently formed Genetic Metabolic Diseases Advisory Committee (GeMDAC) on August 2, 2024, to review the New Drug Application (NDA) for arimoclomol. 15 July 2024
Swedish biotech Oncopeptides yesterday announced a collaboration with Vector Pharma FZCO to commercialize its flagship drug Pepaxti (melphalan flufenamide in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. 28 March 2024
An attempt from the conservative Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine to ban mifepristone, a medicine used to induce an abortion, threatens to undermine confidence in the American regulatory regime. 27 March 2024
A South Korean company, AriBio, has announced the signing of exclusive marketing rights for its investigational Alzheimer’s disease drug, AR1001. 27 March 2024
In what is seen as an important win for Merck & Co, the US pharma giant late yesterday announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved sotatercept-csrk injection (which will be marketed in the USA as Winrevair). 27 March 2024
Israel’s Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Japanese drugmaker Daiichi Sankyo have been called out for breaches of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) Code of Practice. 27 March 2024
Danish firm Lundbeck and Japan’s Otsuka Pharmaceutical have secured European approval for a new formulation of Abilify Maintena (aripiprazole). 27 March 2024
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has issued recommendations for the influenza virus strains that vaccine manufacturers should include in vaccines for the prevention of seasonal influenza from autumn 2024. 27 March 2024
Veeda Clinical Research Limited, a full-service contract research organization (CRO) with a proven record of drug development success, announced that it has acquired Heads, a privately held European CRO, which specializes in conducting clinical trials in oncology. 27 March 2024
Not-for-profit research partnership TB Alliance has won a A$17 million grant from the Australian government to continue its work combating tuberculosis. 26 March 2024
Cohance Lifesciences and Suven Pharma are to merge, creating one of India's largest integrated contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) players. 26 March 2024
New York-based Nuvation Bio, a biopharma tackling some of the greatest unmet needs in oncology by developing differentiated and novel therapeutic candidates, is to buy AnHeart Therapeutics. 26 March 2024
US privately-held biopharma Pharmazz and Dr Reddy's Laboratories have enter into licensing agreement to market first-in-class centhaquine (trade name Lyfaquin) for hypovolemic shock in India. 26 March 2024
Drug sales in the Russian market are steadily growing, while last year the overall retail sales increased by 8% year-on-year basis to 1.5 trillion roubles $16.2 billion), according to latest data, provided by the Russian pharmaceutical analytics agency RNC Pharma, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 26 March 2024
Pharmaceutical companies from so-called “unfriendly” countries for Russia will be required to coordinate transactions for the sale of brands and means of individualization in the country’s pharmaceutical market to local legal entities with the specially established state regulator in order to tighten a control for them and prevent the illegal withdrawal funds from the local market. 25 March 2024
Swedish biotech Sobi has announced positive results from the AVA-PED-301 study, evaluating the efficacy and safety of Doptelet (avatrombopag). 25 March 2024