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
GigaGen has been awarded a contract by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 4 October 2024
Oxford, UK-based Enara Bio today announces the closing of a $32.5 million Series B financing supported by a strong syndicate of new and existing biotech investors. 3 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
Zenas BioPharma announced the pricing of its upsized initial public offering of 13,235,294 shares of its common stock at an initial public offering price of $17.00 per share. 13 September 2024
US pharma major Eli Lilly and Egyptian firm EVA Pharma have entered into an agreement to expand access to Olumiant (baricitinib) to an estimated 20,000 people in 49 low- to middle-income countries in Africa by 2030. 6 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
Japan’s Eisai and US biotech Biogen today revealed that the Ministry of Health and Prevention in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has approved Leqembi (lecanemab) for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). 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
UK pharma major AstraZeneca has outlined plans to invest £650 million ($828 million) in the UK – helping boost the UK’s life sciences sector and grow the economy. 7 March 2024
UK pharma major GSK today announced positive headline results from an interim analysis of the DREAMM-8 Phase III head-to-head trial evaluating Blenrep (belantamab mafodotin). 7 March 2024
The UK’s leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology trade groups welcomed Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Spring Budget to unlock investment in medical research and manufacturing that was announced on Wednesday. 6 March 2024
Israeli company BiomX has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Adaptive Phage Therapeutics, a USA-based, privately-held, biotech developing phage-based therapies to combat bacterial infections. 6 March 2024
US antiviral drug specialist Gilead Sciences has entered into a research collaboration, option and license agreement with Dutch biotech Merus to discover novel dual tumor-associated antigens (TAA) targeting trispecific antibodies. 6 March 2024
A bold move to rip up intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines appears to have been quietly dropped, after the World Trade Organization (WTO) opted not to extend the measure. 6 March 2024
US drugmaker Vanda Pharmaceuticals saw its shares close down 3% yesterday and fall a further 2.2% to $4.04 pre-market on news of a setback for its Hetlioz (tasimelteon) 6 March 2024
Sandoz has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Wyost (denosumab-bbdz) and Jubbonti (denosumab-bbdz), the first and only FDA-approved denosumab biosimilars, to treat all indications of the reference medicines. 6 March 2024
Sales of Gilead Sciences’ antiviral medication Veklury (remdesivir) decreased by 44% to $2.2 billion last year compared to 2022, primarily driven by lower rates of COVID-19 related hospitalizations in all regions. 6 March 2024
Early data from the AFFINITY DUCHENNE trial of a new gene therapy, RGX-202, raise hopes for a breakthrough in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). 6 March 2024
Today Boston, USA-based Sionna Therapeutics announced it closed a $182 million Series C financing, one of the largest late-stage rounds in biotech so far this year. 6 March 2024
Marking a fourth deal this year, Japanese drugmaker Ono Pharmaceutical today announced that it has entered into a license agreement with pre-clinical stage Korean biotechnology NEX-I for NXI-101. 6 March 2024
Shares of Sweden-headquartered Calliditas Therapeutics were up 6.8% at 116.60 kronor by mid-morning after revealing a patent extension on its lead product. 6 March 2024
Progress is happening in the cell and gene therapies (CGT) space—but that does not mean that the challenges that have held it back are about to disappear. 6 March 2024
A pair of big pharma companies have become the latest drugmakers to take aim at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the cost-effectiveness watchdog for England and Wales. 5 March 2024
A preliminary report from the US Food and Drug Administration could raise concerns about the safety of new vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). 5 March 2024