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
Seagen has announced an update to the label for its antibody-drug conjugate Adcetris (brentuximab vedotin), adding results from the Phase III ECHELON-1 trial. 15 June 2023
The recent rally in Eli Lilly’s market value, which made it to become the most valuable pharmaceutical company in the world, with a market cap of $420 billion, surpassing Johnson & Johnson, has come as the result of its blockbuster type 2 diabetes (T2D) drug Mounjaro (tirzepatide) successfully completing its second final-stage trial for obesity. 15 June 2023
US biotech major Gilead Sciences’ Kite unit today announced that its CAR T-cell therapy helped patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) live longer than historic treatment. 15 June 2023
Federal lawmakers in the USA are pushing for a bill that would limit the structure of how pharmacy benefit managers (PMBs) — companies that operate in between insurers, pharmacists and drugmakers — are paid, although a PBM trade group took issue with the proposed legislation, according to Life Sciences Law360. 15 June 2023
The Commercial Court in Lyon, France, has rejected the request of investment fund Akkadian Partners to postpone the vote on the merger of Erytech with Pherecydes Pharma. 15 June 2023
An investment bank for the UK government has highlighted what it sees as the success of the UK life science sector in raising venture capital in recent years. 15 June 2023
US pharma giant Merck & Co has won out in a lawsuit relating to Bridion (sugammadex), a medication for the reversal of neuromuscular blockade induced by rocuronium and vecuronium in general anesthesia. 14 June 2023
UK-based ValiRx, a life science company focusing on early-stage cancer therapeutics and women's health, has acquired the scientific assets of Imagen Therapeutics from its appointed liquidators. 14 June 2023
Privately-held Californian firm Alladapt Immunotherapeutics has announced top-line results from the Phase I/II Harmony study of its multi-targeted allergy treatment ADP101. 14 June 2023
Japanese drugmaker Chugai Pharmaceutical said today it has filed a regulatory application with the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) for the anti-C5 antibody crovalimab for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). 14 June 2023
Israel-based NeuroSense Therapeutics announced in a Securities and Exchange Commission that it has entered into a collaborative evaluation agreement with a unit of US biotech major Biogen. 14 June 2023
As a functional, practical and intelligent way to regulate medical products in today’s globalized world—especially with increasing public health needs, limited resources and demand for faster and better treatments—the use of regulatory decisions from other jurisdictions represents a powerful and effective alternative. 14 June 2023
The Russian government plans to significantly increase public procurement of drugs against diabetes this year despite the existing shortage of funds, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 14 June 2023
The UK subsidiary of Hungarian drugmaker Gedeon Richter today announced that full marketing and distribution rights to an oral contraceptive range of branded generics, acquired from Ireland-headquartered Consilient Health, have been transferred to the company. 14 June 2023
India is to join an international system - the Pharmaceutical Inspection Convention and Pharmaceutical Inspection Cooperation Scheme (PIC/S) - that fosters cooperation between countries and regulatory authorities on good manufacturing practices (GMPs) in order to improve the quality of its medical products. 14 June 2023
Just months after France’s Ipsen bought liver disease specialist Albireo (Nasdaq: ALBO), the company’s main product Bylvay (odevixibat) has won a new US nod. 14 June 2023
Spanish dermatology-focused drugmaker Almirall has launched a non pre-emptive share capital increase for a total aggregate amount (including nominal value and share issue premium) of around 200 million euros, by issuing more than 24 million new ordinary shares at 8.20 euros. 14 June 2023
French drugmaker Sanofi has placed a strong emphasis on the adoption of artificial intelligence capabilities to facilitate its internal operations. 13 June 2023