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
The value of treatments for obesity is set to grow considerably in the next decade, with industry analyst GlobalData forecasting a market value of around $37 billion by 2031. 5 April 2023
A Citizen Petition (CP) has been filed on behalf of Swiss biotech Idorsia Pharmaceuticals, urging the USA’s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to de-schedule the dual orexin receptor antagonist (DORA) class of chronic insomnia medications based on a review of evidence from available data, including post-marketing surveillance data. 5 April 2023
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has placed a partial clinical hold on all trials of Gossamer Bio’s GB5121, in response to serious adverse events that have been observed in the Phase Ib/II STAR-CNS study, including atrial fibrillation, a sudden death event and a fatal intracranial hemorrhage. 5 April 2023
The long-rumored acquisition of US biotech Seagen was finally announced in March, albeit it was not long-time suitor Merck & Co behind the deal, but rather fellow US pharma giant Pfizer. 4 April 2023
Spanish epigenetics firm Oryzon Genomics has announced encouraging results from a planned interim analysis of the Phase IIb PORTICO study. 4 April 2023
Wuppertal, Germany-based infectious disease drug developer AiCuris Anti-infective Cures today announced the appointment of Larry Edwards as chief executive (CEO), effective April 1, 2023. 4 April 2023
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval of Padcev (enfortumab vedotin-ejfv) with Keytruda (pembrolizumab), with the decision coming ahead of anticipated date of April 21. 4 April 2023
Dermatology company Botanix Pharmaceuticals has safely navigated the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mid-cycle review with sofpironium bromide. 4 April 2023
The administrators of the USA’s public insurance scheme, Medicare, are getting ready to implement the measures included in the Inflation Reduction Act. 4 April 2023
OncoSec Medical closed down almost 50% on Monday and fell a further 6% to $1.22 pre-market today, after the company announced primary endpoint data from the Phase II KEYNOTE-695 clinical trial that missed its goals. 4 April 2023
Austrian drug discovery company Quantro Therapeutics has appointed Dr Michael Bauer as the firm’s chief executive (CEO), effective May 1, 2023. 4 April 2023
The late-breaking data on AbbVie’s (NYSE: ABBV) blocker Skyrizi (risankizumab) in plaque psoriasis (PsO) that was presented at the recently concluded American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting is expected to help Skyrizi’s positioning in the crowded PsO biologics space. 4 April 2023
Continuing to invest the massive profits generated from its COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty success, German biotech BioNTech has signed up for another oncology collaboration. 3 April 2023
Shares in Sweden’s Asarina Pharma looked set to close more than 2% higher based on results from its Phase IIa study of the endogenous neurosteroid sepranolone for the treatment of Tourette syndrome. 3 April 2023
Japanese drugmaker Eisai (TYO: 4523) has entered into an agreement with the National Cancer Center to collaborate on investigator-initiated clinical research for the EZH2 inhibitor Tazverik (tazemetostat hydrobromide) based on “Patient-Proposed Healthcare Services” system, which will be conducted by the National Cancer Center Hospital. 3 April 2023
Karim Mikhail is to resign as president and chief executive of Amarin Corp, the Ireland-headquartered fish oil-based heart drug specialist, according to a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing. 3 April 2023
Germany’s STADA Arzneimittel and Sweden’s Xbrane Biopharma are introducing Ximluci (ranibizumab) in several European countries to offer European ophthalmologists and their patients a cost-effective option to treat visual impairment, including neovascular or wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). 3 April 2023