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 Russian Ministry of Health has registered the third Russian generic of the original drug Ozempic (semaglutide) from Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk. 8 August 2024
US biotech major Biogen is disputing the launch of a Russian generic of Spinraza (nusinersen), a drug, which is used to treat spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 7 August 2024
CytoReason’s $80 million venture round may not have been the biggest in July, but it is one of a growing number of investor bets on AI powered drug discovery this year. 7 August 2024
Finland-based Faron Pharmaceuticals, a biopharma reprogramming myeloid cells to activate anti-tumor immunity in hematological and solid tumor microenvironments, has announced that its chief executive Markku Jalkanen is to retire. 7 August 2024
Denmark US oncology-based Pharmacosmos today revealed it has entered a definitive agreement to acquire US cancer-focused company G1 Therapeutics. 7 August 2024
Shares of US therapeutic gene editing company Sangamo Therapeutics leapt as much as 46% to $1.11 yesterday on the news of a licensing deal. 7 August 2024
Danish pharma major Novo Nordisk was trading nearly 4% lower on Wednesday afternoon after earlier presenting its latest quarterly financial results and guidance for the rest of 2024. 7 August 2024
The US Food and Drug Administration approved French privately-held drug major Servier’s vorasidenib, now trade named Voranigo, an isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 (IDH1) and isocitrate dehydrogenase-2 (IDH2) inhibitor, for certain types of brain tumors. 7 August 2024
Tuesday was a good day for Levicept, a UK biotech focused on the development of LEVI-04, a first-in-class treatment for osteoarthritis and other pain indications. 7 August 2024
US biotech major Amgen reported second quarter 2024 financial results late yesterday, showing total revenues increased 20% to $8.4 billion in comparison to the like quarter of 2023. 7 August 2024
US clinical-stage biotech Equillium saw its shares rise 8% to $0.68 as it revealed progress with its first-in-class anti-CD6 monoclonal antibody. 6 August 2024
Life sciences venture capital company Apple Tree Partners (ATP) has unveiled Red Queen Therapeutics, a biotech developing antivirals for the general population and especially for immunocompromised patients at increased risk of serious illness or death from common and emerging viral pathogens. 6 August 2024
Daiichi Sankyo (and US pharma giant Merck & Co have expanded their existing global co-development and co-commercialization agreement to include Merck’s MK-6070. 6 August 2024
The US subsidiary of Swiss family-owned protein specialist Octapharma today revealed that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the approval of fibryga, fibrinogen (human) lyophilized powder for reconstitution, for fibrinogen replacement in bleeding patients with acquired fibrinogen deficiency (AFD). 6 August 2024
Shares of Swiss antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) develop ADC Therapeutics were down more than 11% at $2.55 as it reported financial results for 2nd-qtr 2024 and provided operational updates. 6 August 2024
Germany’s Bayer has reported group revenue of 11.1 billion euros ($12.2 billion) in the second quarter of 2024, ahead of the 10.9 billion euros average of analysts’ estimates and up by 1% on the same period a year ago. 6 August 2024
Shanghai-based Antengene (SEHK: 6996) has announced that the Malaysian medicines regulator has approved Xpovio (selinexor) for the treatment of multiple myeloma. 6 August 2024