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
Mid-sized French drugmaker Ipsen today revealed the appointment of Christelle Huguet as executive vice president, head of research and development. 4 September 2023
The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) recommends new measures to avoid exposure of children to topiramate-containing medicines in the womb, because the medicine may increase the risk of neurodevelopmental problems after exposure during pregnancy. 4 September 2023
Germany has some strengths to show in the competition among locations for pharmaceutical R&D, but has nevertheless been falling behind internationally for some years, for example in the area of clinical trials, according to a posting on the web site of the German pharma trade group the vfa. 4 September 2023
Reeling from a regulatory setback last month, Sage Therapeutics is to undergo a major restructuring in the run-up to its launch of postpartum depression drug Zurzuvae (zuranolone). 1 September 2023
The combination of mezigdomide and dexamethasone exhibited activity among patients with heavily pre-treated multiple myeloma (MM), according to Phase I/II trial results published in The New England Journal of Medicine. 1 September 2023
Ireland-headquartered Ovoca Bio saw its shares plunge 82% to 2.50 pence yesterday, after it revealed disappointing results from a Phase II dose ranging study assessing orenetide conducted in Australia and New Zealand. 1 September 2023
Japanese mid-size drugmaker Otsuka Pharmaceuticals has entered into a definitive arrangement agreement to acquire Toronto, Canada-based Mindset Pharma. 1 September 2023
Privately-held Danish company MC2 Therapeutics today announced an agreement under which a Huadong Medicine unit has been granted exclusive rights in Greater China to develop and commercialize MC2’s drug, Wynzora Cream for the treatment of plaque psoriasis. 31 August 2023
French drugmaker Sanofi has made a series of changes to its executive team, including the appointment of a new head of research and development. 31 August 2023
US pharma giant Merck & Co, known as MSD outside of the USA and Canada, will stop deliveries to Russia of Zepatier (elbasvir/grazoprevir), one of the most popular drugs against hepatitis C, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 30 August 2023
In a bid to consolidate its lead in the weight management therapy sector, diabetes care giant Novo Nordisk has now bought a fellow Denmark based company and its obesity program. 30 August 2023
Japanese drugmaker Kyowa Kirin has received approval in its home country for a higher-dose formulation of its oral calcimimetics agent Orkedia (evocalcet). 30 August 2023
Japanese drugmaker Taiho Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of Otsuka Holdings, has announced that its FGFR inhibitor Lytgobi (futibatinib) has now been listed on the National Health Insurance (NHI) reimbursement price list. 30 August 2023
Following the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent approval of US healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson’s Akeega, the fixed dose combination of niraparib and abiraterone acetate with prednisone for a new indication, analysts at GlobalData have reviewed the drug’s prospects and challenges. 30 August 2023
Notwithstanding what it called “positive” late-stage trials with its acoramidis over the weekend, BridgeBio Pharma saw its shares fall almost 4.5% to $28.36 in early trading on Monday. 29 August 2023
Today, the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has for the first time selected 10 drugs for negotiation. Seniors paid $3.4 billion in out-of-pocket costs for these drugs in 2022, the CMS stated. 29 August 2023
A new discovery and development collaboration has been agreed between Boston, USA-based Verastem Oncology and Shanghai's GenFleet Therapeutics. 29 August 2023
The European Commission (EC) has approved the extension of the Evrysdi (risdiplam) European Union (EU) marketing authorization to include infants with a clinical diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type one, type two or type three or with one to four SMN2 copies from birth to below two months. 29 August 2023
Japanese drugmaker Otsuka Holdings subsidiary Taiho Pharmaceutical has entered into an option and license agreement with French biotech firm Phost’in Therapeutics, through which Taiho will gain option rights to in-license PhOx430, a first-in-class small molecule targeting GnT-V (nacetylglucosaminyltransferase-V). 29 August 2023