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
US health technology assessor the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) today posted its revised Evidence Report assessing the comparative clinical effectiveness and value of tezepelumab. 4 November 2021
India-based Aragen Life Sciences (formerly GVK BIO), which offers R&D and manufacturing solutions (CRO/CDMO) for life sciences industries worldwide, expects high teens growth in 2022, with the new chemical entity (NCE) development and manufacturing business growing at around 40% year-on-year. 4 November 2021
The Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI), a network of global CEOs and private sector corporations targeting planet-friendly growth, has created a new task force focused on the healthcare sector. 4 November 2021
Takeda was the only pharma heavyweight to announce an acquisition in October, but a few smaller drugmakers did deals to create larger entities, too. 4 November 2021
Swiss rare diseases specialist Santhera Pharmaceuticals today said it has appointed Stephanie Brown as president North America and a member of its executive management team, effective December 1. 4 November 2021
The coronavirus vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech, Covaxin, has been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) under its emergency use listing (EUL) process. 4 November 2021
Novartis has agreed to sell 53.3 million (around 33%) bearer shares of fellow Swiss pharma giant Roche in a bilateral transaction to Roche for a total consideration of $20.7 billion. 4 November 2021
Cardiopulmonary diseases focussed US firm PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals saw its shares close down nearly 6% and fall a further 2.9% to $3.93 after-hours yesterday, despite positive mid-stage results for its bentracimab. 4 November 2021
The European Medicines Agency has terminated its rolling review of Eli Lilly’s coronavirus treatments bamlanivimab and etesevimab, at the company’s request. 3 November 2021
Biotech funder and incubator Flagship Pioneering today announced a first-of-its-kind strategic partnership with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Flagship's Pioneering Medicines to develop therapeutics that address the unmet needs of people living with cystic fibrosis by leveraging the innovations and teams of multiple Flagship-founded companies. 3 November 2021
Copycat biologics are helping to expand access to care for cancer patients, according to a report from the Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM), which represents the USA’s generics and biosimilars companies. 3 November 2021
US biopharma Vertex Pharmaceuticals recorded product revenues of $1.98 billion in the third quarter, the firm’s latest financial results show. 3 November 2021
Emerging biotech GRO Biosciences (GRObio), which is leveraging ground-breaking science to expand the amino acid alphabet and deliver on the promise of protein therapeutics, today announced the closing of a Series A financing totaling $25 million co-led by Leaps by Bayer and Redmile Group. 3 November 2021
US CNS-focussed drug biotech Amylyx Pharmaceuticals says it has now submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the US Food and Drug Administration for AMX0035 for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). 3 November 2021
California’s Amgen has reported third-quarter financial results showing total revenues increased 4% to $6.71 billion, driven by higher demand. 3 November 2021
Denmark-based diabetes care giant Novo Nordisk today reported financial results, showing that n the first nine months of 2021 operating profit was 45.01 billion Danish kroner ($5.34 billion), an increase of 5% in kroner terms and up 12% at constant exchange rates (CER). 3 November 2021
US mRNA-based biotech Moderna has entered into a strategic research and development collaboration with Metagenomi focused on advancing new gene editing systems for in vivo human therapeutic applications. 3 November 2021
Cambridge, UK-based biopharma start-up Dunad Therapeutics today signed its first deal in the growing area of interest in protein degraders, entering a license agreement with Swiss pharma giant Novartis to generate orally bioavailable covalent and protein degrading small molecule drugs. 2 November 2021
UK oncology-focussed biotech ValiRx has entered into a non-binding letter of intent (LoI) with TheoremRx, a recently incorporated US company, a next generation drug developer, to enter into a license agreement on pre-agreed terms to sub-license ValiRx' legacy asset VAL201 for development in the treatment of cancer. 2 November 2021