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
Boston, USA-based non-profit The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) has released its final report into the cost-effectiveness of a range of atopic dermatitis (AD) therapies. 18 August 2021
US pharma major Eli Lilly has announced executive leadership changes and the creation of neuroscience and immunology business units. Effective September 5, Lilly Bio-Medicines will split into two business units: Lilly Neuroscience and Lilly Immunology. 18 August 2021
Californian immunotherapy company Gritstone Bio has received an investment of up to $20.6 million to take forward its next-generation coronavirus vaccine. 17 August 2021
The Russian government may expand the list of purchased high-priced drugs for its needs by beginning purchases of risdiplam – a drug for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent 17 August 2021
The China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has further approved Cosentyx (secukinumab) for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in pediatric patients. 17 August 2021
US privately-held biotech HiberCell today announced the acquisition of Genuity Science, a life science technology company – previously known as WuXi NextCODE and with Chinese backing - that provides world-leading genomics and multi-omic analytics bolstered by an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) platform to illuminate the underlying cause of cancer and other diseases. 17 August 2021
German biopharma CureVac offered a couple of updates on its partnered programs as it presented its quarterly financial results on Monday. 17 August 2021
US biotech giant Amgen has survived periods of accelerated erosion of legacy products before, but investors may not be aware of the erosion risk facing the company in 2025-2030, commented SVB Leerink Research analyst Geoffrey Porges. 17 August 2021
US biopharma Travere Therapeutics has announced positive top-line interim results from the ongoing pivotal Phase III PROTECT study of sparsentan, an investigational product candidate for the treatment of IgA nephropathy (IgAN). 17 August 2021
US biotech Incyte and China’s InnoCare have announced that Incyte and a subsidiary of InnoCare have entered into a collaboration and license agreement for the development and commercialization of tafasitamab, a humanized Fc-modified cytolytic CD19 targeting monoclonal antibody, in Greater China. 17 August 2021
Japan’s largest drugmaker Takeda is currently developing multiple microbiome-targeting agents through a number of collaborations with innovative small companies. 17 August 2021
The government of Russia’s capital Moscow city, together with private investors will invest about 10 billion roubles ($137 million) in the construction of at least three large-scale pharmaceutical enterprises. 17 August 2021
Shares in British biotech Tiziana Life Sciences rose nearly 4% on Tuesday morning, after the firm announced positive results for its nasally-administered COVID-19 therapy foralumab. 17 August 2021
US biotech companies Exelixis and Invenra have expanded their discovery and licensing collaboration to include an additional 20 oncology targets. 16 August 2021
For many years, artificial intelligence (AI), in particular machine learning, have been touted as potentially transformational technologies for drug discovery and development. 16 August 2021
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has amended the emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for certain COVID-19 vaccines to allow for the use of an additional in some immuno-compromised people. 16 August 2021
China’s Brii Biosciences has announced that the Phase III portion of the ACTIV-2 study evaluating its monoclonal neutralizing antibody combination therapy, BRII-196/BRII-198 has completed enrollment of 846 participants, in sites in the USA, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico and Argentina. 16 August 2021
Tokyo-based drugmaker Eisai has announced the Japanese launch of Tazverik Tablets 200mg (tazemetostat hydrobromide) for relapsed or refractory EZH2 gene mutation-positive follicular lymphoma, when standard treatment is not applicable. 16 August 2021
Lebrikizumab led to significant improvements with at least 75% skin clearance in more than half of people with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD), as measured by EASI, in ADvocate 1 and ADvocate 2 Phase III clinical trials announced today. 16 August 2021
Shares of USA-based oncology specialist Sesen Bio were all but annihilated on Friday, after the company revealed a major setback for its lead drug candidate, with the stock falling 57% by close of trading and a further 17.5% to $1.74 in after-hours trading. 16 August 2021