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
Finnish biotech Rokote Laboratories has partnered with 3PBioVian to produce the drug substance and product for its intranasal COVID-19 vaccine, FINCoVac 2.1, ahead of Phase I trials. 29 August 2024
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals has filed a lawsuit against Sandoz, alleging that its biosimilar to Eylea (aflibercept) infringes certain patents. 29 August 2024
Marseille-based ImCheck Therapeutics has received 20.2 million euros ($22.4 million) in non-dilutive funding as part of the i-Démo call for projects under the France 2030 Plan operated by Bpifrance on behalf of the French government. 29 August 2024
Celltrion’s US subsidiary has signed an agreement with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) Cigna Healthcare, and Express Scripts that will help expand patient access to Zymfentra (infliximab-dyyb). 29 August 2024
Roche subsidiary Genentech will lay off nearly 100 employees at its San Francisco site, according to a California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice. 29 August 2024
A workshop held at the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) World Congress has revealed significant discrepancies in clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) across countries for opioid use in chronic pain management. 29 August 2024
US firm Lindy Biosciences has announced a multitarget exclusive global licensing agreement and strategic collaboration with the US subsidiary of Swiss pharma giant Novartis. 29 August 2024
Flagship Pioneering yesterday demonstrated further acceleration in its strategic partnership with Pfizer, announcing two research programs with Flagship-founded Quotient Therapeutics. 29 August 2024
US House Committee on Oversight and Accountability chairman James Comer is calling on the chief executives s of three major Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) - CVS Caremark, Express Scripts, and Optum Rx - to correct the record for statements made during their appearance before the House Oversight Committee. 29 August 2024
Japanese drugmaker Chugai Pharmaceutical says it will transfer the business of the secondary hyperparathyroidism drug Oxarol for Injection (maxacalcitol) to LTL Pharma in Japan. 29 August 2024
Drug development consultancy Certara has published a report on the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) impact on oncology biosimilar uptake. 29 August 2024
German pharma major Bayer today announced it has entered into a collaboration and license agreement with US biotech start-up NextRNA Therapeutics to develop small molecule therapeutics targeting lncRNAs in oncology. 28 August 2024
German generics major STADA Arzneimittel today announced that it achieved sales of more than 2 billion euros ($2.23 billion) in the first half of 2024. 28 August 2024
Chinese biotech DualityBio has shown that it means business in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange that reveals its plans for an initial public offering (IPO). 28 August 2024
The European Commission (EC) has extended the indications of the antifungal Cresemba (isavuconazole) to pediatric patients, says Swiss drugmaker Basilea Pharmaceutica. 28 August 2024
Novartis today announced positive top-line results from twice-yearly Leqvio (inclisiran) in the Phase III V-MONO study, which met its primary endpoints. 28 August 2024
Japanese pharma major Astellas Pharma today revealed that the European Commission has granted Marketing Authorization for Padcev (enfortumab vedotin, an antibody-drug conjugate [ADC]) in combination with Keytruda (pembrolizumab). 28 August 2024