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
Shares of Innate Pharma shot up as much as 10% in an initial reaction to its announcement that French pharma major Sanofi has made the decision to progress IPH6401/SAR’514 into investigational new drug (IND)-enabling studies, triggering a 3 million-euro ($3.1 million) milestone payment. 21 July 2022
The UK’s R&D tax relief regime will continue to support innovative life sciences and biotech companies to conduct essential clinical trials and some pre-clinical work overseas following the publication of new draft legislation. 21 July 2022
US clinical-stage immuno-oncology company Portage Biotech says it has acquired the outstanding ownership interest (approximately 22%) of its invariant natural killer T cell (iNKT agonist) platform and now fully owns the worldwide rights to its small molecule iNKT agonists, including lead programs PORT-2 and PORT-3. 21 July 2022
New Jersey, USA-based rare disease drug developer PTC Therapeutics today announced that Upstaza (eladocagene exuparvovec) was granted marketing authorization by the European Commission. 20 July 2022
Unofficial American cost-effectiveness watchdog the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) has published a Final Evidence Report on betibeglogene autotemcel for the treatment of beta thalassemia. 20 July 2022
Versanis Bio, a privately-held biotech advancing novel therapeutics for cardiometabolic diseases, has announced the appointment of Mark Pruzanski as chairman and chief executive 20 July 2022
In a rare disappointment for leading PARP inhibitor Lynparza (olaparib), researchers are to stop the Phase III LYNK-003 trial after independent monitors judged it likely to fail. 20 July 2022
Japanese drugmaker Ono Pharmaceutical has announced the establishment and start of an investment business of Ono Digital health Investment, GK (ODhI) as a corporate venture capital (CVC) that invests in venture companies in the field of healthcare, other than the ethical pharmaceutical drug-related field. 20 July 2022
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) is to oppose what it calls “flawed price-setting proposals,” arguing instead for changes to the way Medicare covers and pays for medicines, including biosimilars. 20 July 2022
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Opzelura (ruxolitinib) cream 1.5% for the topical treatment of nonsegmental vitiligo in adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older, the drug’s developer, Incyte, announced late Monday, when the firms share closed up 3.2% at $81.36. 20 July 2022
Cell therapies are among the most researched treatment types for blood cancer and the product pipeline is oversaturated, with over 800 products currently in development for just five major blood cancers. 20 July 2022
Chinese contract research, development and manufacturing organization (CRDMO) WuXi Biologics has announced a 10-year, $1.4 billion investment plan to expand its research, development, and large-scale drug substance and drug product manufacturing capacity and capabilities in Singapore. 19 July 2022