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
Cambridge, US-based Apollo Therapeutics today announces the close of $226.5 million in a Series C financing led by lead investor Patient Square Capital. 6 September 2023
Jane Grogan has been named as executive vice president, head of research at US biotech major Biogen, with the appointment taking effective on October 2. 6 September 2023
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a complete response letter (CRL) regarding the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for long-acting C5 complement inhibitor Ultomiris (ravulizumab-cwvz). 6 September 2023
Marie-France Tschudin, president, innovative medicines international and chief commercial officer of Novartis, has decided to leave the Swiss pharma giant and will step down from the executive committee of Novartis. 6 September 2023
Dr Monica Shaw has joined the commercial leadership team of US pharma major Bristol Myers Squibb’s as senior vice president, major markets. 6 September 2023
Idorsia is to pay up to $345 million to reacquire rights to aprocitentan, a novel endothelin receptor blocker under development for hypertension. 6 September 2023
Adding to an earlier setback, cellular and cell-derived drug developer BioCardia (Nasdaq: BCDA), yesterday announced it has finalized external review of interim data and evaluated interim efficacy results for the ongoing Phase III pivotal trial of CardiAMP Cell Therapy for Heart Failure (CardiAMP HF) which disappointed. 6 September 2023
The Russian segment of drug public procurements significantly declined this year, mainly as a result of a significant drop of purchases under various state programs, The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent reports. 6 September 2023
Russian drugmaker Geropharm once again failed to challenge the patent for Toujeo (long-acting insulin glargine) produced by the French pharma major Sanofi, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 5 September 2023
US biotech Star Therapeutics has announced the closing of an oversubscribed $90 million Series C financing to continue growing its antibody therapies and portfolio companies. 5 September 2023
US biotech major Amgen’s olpasiran, a small interfering RNA (siRNA), is making strides in reducing lipoprotein [Lp(a)] levels significantly in patients with cardiovascular disease. 5 September 2023
Partners Sage Therapeutics and Biogen secured US approval for Zurzuvae (zuranolone) for adults with postpartum depression (PPD) last month. 5 September 2023
Shares of Spanish dermatology-focused drugmaker Almirall rallied yesterday, after the company revealed in a brief stock exchange filing that it is looking to expand its therapeutic range. 5 September 2023
New Phase III innovaTV 301 global trial data in recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer patients with disease progression on or after front-line therapy who received Tivdak (tisotumab vedotin-tftv), compared with chemotherapy alone, met its primary endpoint of overall survival (OS). 5 September 2023
Italy’s privately-held drug developer Italfarmaco Group today revealed that its Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for Givinostat as a potential treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) has been submitted to the European Medicine Agency. 5 September 2023
Palforzia was going to be the keystone product in Nestle’s strategic expansion into biotech, but the Swiss food and drink giant has finally thrown in the towel. 5 September 2023
Dutch specialty pharma firm Pleco Therapeutics has appointed Dr Henno Welgemoed in the newly created role of chief medical officer (CMO). 5 September 2023