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
Switzerland-based biologics contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), Celonic Group has appointed Dr Samantha Cimitan as chief executive. 3 August 2023
Japanese companies have been slow to progress COVID-19 vaccines, but today Daiichi Sankyo announced that it has received approval for the manufacturing and marketing of Daichirona for Intramuscular Injection (DS-5670). 2 August 2023
US biotech Seagen, the subject of a $43 billion takeover by US pharma giant Pfizer, today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023, highlighting record net product sales, with significant year-over-year growth of 26% to $544 million 2 August 2023
The UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued a draft Appraisal Consultation Document recommending against CSL Behring’s Hemgenix (etranacogene dezaparvovec) for severe and moderately severe hemophilia B (congenital factor IX deficiency) patients without a history of Factor IX (FIX) inhibitors. 2 August 2023
German family-owned drugmaker Grünenthal and Japan’s Kyowa Kiron today announced the successful completion of a deal to enter into a joint venture collaboration for Kyowa Kirin International's established medicines portfolio. 2 August 2023
The end of exclusivity for AbbVie’s top-selling biologic Humira (adalimumab) has provided a key test of whether biosimilars are finally ready to deliver on their promise in the US biopharmaceutical market. 2 August 2023
Dutch rare diseases biotech firm ProQR Therapeutics saw its shares rise 5% to $1.58 yesterday, after it announced an agreement to divest its late-stage ophthalmic assets, sepofarsen and ultevursen, to Laboratoires Théa. 2 August 2023
Shares of UK clinical stage drug development company Evgen Pharma (AIM: EVG) were down more than 8% at 2.94 pence mid-morning, after it revealed that JuvLife Ltd, a division of Juvenescence, has terminated the patent and know-how license agreement for Evgen's Sulforadex sulforaphane stabilization technology. 2 August 2023
US biopharma company Vertex Pharmaceuticals has reported consolidated financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023 and updated its full year 2023 financial guidance. 2 August 2023
US drugmaker EQRx, founded on the principle of developing and delivering innovative medicines to patients at radically lower prices, saw its share price leap more than 19% to $2.04 by mid-morning (having hit a high of $2.22), on news of a takeover bid. 1 August 2023
While its work on the novel coronavirus swept Pfizer to the top of the world’s largest drugmakers by revenue, the firm must now find a way to manage a precipitous drop in sales, as countries move past the acute phase of the pandemic. 1 August 2023
US pharma giant Merck & Co today announced financial results for the second quarter of 2023 that topped expectations on strong sales of its blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and HPV vaccine Gardasil. 1 August 2023
Bimervax, the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Spanish company HIPRA Human Health, has today been authorized by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). 1 August 2023
Age-related and autoimmune disease specialist MyMD Pharmaceuticals has announced positive Phase II data for its oral TNF-α inhibitor, MYMD-1. 1 August 2023
Belgian women’s healthcare company Mithra Pharmaceuticals saw its shares gain 13.9% to 1.96 euros, after it revealed it has signed licensing agreement with privately-held Canadian specialty pharma firm Searchlight Pharma for the Canadian rights to Donesta. 1 August 2023
USA-based generics major Viatris and Kindeva Drug Delivery today announced the launch of Breyna (budesonide and formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Inhalation Aerosol, the first generic version of AstraZeneca's Symbicort with an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 1 August 2023
UK-based industry accelerator the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT Catapult) today announces that Jeanette Evans has been appointed chief business officer (CBO), taking over from Sharon Brownlow, with effect in August 2023. 1 August 2023
Traders looked unfavorably on Apellis Pharmaceuticals stock on Monday, after the company's report into the safety of its newly-approved Syfovre (pegcetacoplan) detailed a small number of retinal vasculitis cases. 1 August 2023
Russian drugmaker Nanolek is aiming to become the largest supplier of drugs for state needs this year, The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent reports 1 August 2023