Israeli biotech RedHill Biopharma today announced agreements with Switzerland-based Cosmo Pharmaceuticals to manufacture two key products; RedHill’s largest selling product in the USA, Movantik (naloxegol) and RHB-204, currently in a Phase III US study as a stand-alone, first-line orally-administered treatment for pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) disease. 18 February 2021
Pfizer and BioNTech’s BNT162b2 can cut the number of symptomatic COVID-19 infections by 94%, according to real-world data from Israel. 16 February 2021
The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has launched a public consultation on the reclassification of two progestogen-only contraceptive pills containing desogestrel. 13 February 2021
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control of Recipharm of Sweden by EQT Fund Management of Luxembourg, Zentricity Holding of Sweden and Cajelo Invest of Cyprus. 12 February 2021
With a number of national regulators declaring they would not approve COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca for older age group because of questions in its efficacy in such populations, there was good news for the UK’s AstraZeneca and Oxford University, with the much-anticipated decision from the World Health Organization. 10 February 2021
Canada’s Zymeworks has expanded its commercial team, promoting former senior VP of commercial James Priour to the role of chief commercial officer. 10 February 2021
Drug development services organization Quotient Sciences has acquired Arcinova, a fellow UK-based multiservice contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO). 9 February 2021
Chengdu, China-based Anticancer Bioscience (ACB), a pioneer in synthetic lethal approaches to precision oncology, announced today that, having successfully closed an additional financing round, raising 63 renminbi (~$10 million), it has already achieved positive animal data in its small molecule program targeting MYC overexpression. 8 February 2021
Germany’s Merck has agreed to significantly increase production of urgently needed lipids for BioNTech and Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, Comirnaty. 5 February 2021
Keytruda (pembrolizumab) has become the first immunotherapy in combination with pemetrexed and chemotherapy to be recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for routine commissioning. 4 February 2021
Shares in Vaxart have fallen sharply, after the firm released mixed data from a Phase I study of COVID-19 vaccine candidate VXA-CoV2-1. 4 February 2021
Arvelle Therapeutics has secured a positive recommendation from an advisory panel of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), for its seizure medicine Ontozry (cenobamate). 4 February 2021
Japanese drugmaker Chugai Pharmaceuticals today announced that, based on the recommendation of the Appointment Committee, the company resolved to appoint Osamu Okuda, currently representative director, president and chief operating officer, as chief executive as of March 23, 2021. 4 February 2021
Japan’s Ono Pharmaceutical has agreed to transfer the manufacturing and marketing approval authorization for Kinedak to Osaka-based Alfresa Pharma. 1 February 2021
Trevi Therapeutics has announced significant milestones in its clinical programs for Haduvio (nalbuphine), an investigational therapy aimed at treating chronic cough in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and refractory chronic cough (RCC). 4 October 2024
Italian pharma major Recordati saw its shares rise more than 5% to 52.00 euros in early trading, as it announced a deal to expand its portfolio of marketed rare disease medicines. 4 October 2024
Paris-based asset manager Kurma Partners has raised 140 million euros ($154 million), successfully completing the first closing of Biofund IV 4 October 2024
The European Medicines Agency’s pharmacovigilance committee, PRAC, has started a review of medicines containing finasteride and dutasteride following concerns regarding suicidal ideation (suicidal thoughts) and behaviors. 4 October 2024
Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is a chronic neurological disorder that is described as the consequences associated with repeated, compulsive use of opioid drugs and prolonged self-administration of opioid drugs. 4 October 2024
Proposals from the National Health Service (NHS) England have been set out for a phased launch of Eli Lilly’s obesity injection Mounjaro/Zepbound (tirzepatide) at the start of a consultation. 4 October 2024
Aspire Pharma, a UK-based niche generics business, has announced the acquisition of all assets from Canute Pharma, further expanding its product range. 4 October 2024
Bristol Myers Squibb has received a new approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for its blockbuster checkpoint blocker, Opdivo (nivolumab). 4 October 2024
Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and US biotech incubator Flagship Pioneering have agree to collaborate on advancing health and sustainability outcomes in Singapore and the broader Asia Pacific region. 4 October 2024
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has removed the partial clinical hold on delpacibart etedesiran (del-desiran/AOC 1001), an investigational treatment designed to address the root cause of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), under development by US biotech Avidity Biosciences . 4 October 2024
F2G’s September $100m funding round provides the company with crucial funds to
renavigate approval of its lead drug, olorofim. The substantial financing also
highlights the paucity of novel antifungal products in the clinic. 3 October 2024
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the Gilead Sciences subsidiary Kite a Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy Designation (RMAT) for Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel) for adults with newly-diagnosed, high-risk large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). 3 October 2024
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined the shortage of tirzepatide injection, a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) medication, has been resolved. 3 October 2024
Israel’s Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and mAbxience, a Fresenius Kabi majority-owned group with partial ownership from Insud Pharma, have announced a global licensing deal for the development of an anti PD-1 oncology biosimilar candidate. 3 October 2024
Caliway Biopharmaceuticals has successfully completed its initial public offering, raising NT$6.4 billion ($206 million), the largest IPO in Taiwan's biotech industry to date. 3 October 2024
Kedrion Biopharma has finalized an agreement with Germany-based Biotest for the long-term commercialization and distribution of Yimmugo (immune globulin) in the USA. 3 October 2024
US clinical-stage biotech Arcus Biosciences has entered into a clinical trial collaboration with AstraZeneca on renal cancer treatments. 3 October 2024
PeptiDream says that its wholly-owned PDRadiopharma subsidiary has entered into a strategic partnership with French nuclear medicines firm Curium. 3 October 2024