Biosimilar products, which have been circulating in Europe for about a decade, have emerged as a new category of drug within the USA’s pharmaceutical market – a trend underscored by the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of five new biosimilars since 2015 - writes Rich Tremonte, senior vice president of global generic pharmaceuticals at drug wholesaler AmerisourceBergen, in an expert view piece. 10 May 2017
While pharma companies pile into areas such as oncology and central nervous system disorders in the hope that they can offer the next lifesaving treatment, the fact that there are currently just six global players in the vaccines space indicates that it is an enormously challenging area despite the enormous benefits of immunizations for healthcare systems. 9 May 2017
German family-owned drugmaker Grünenthal has appointed Mark Fladrich to the position of chief commercial officer (CCO) responsible for the firm’s entire global commercial organization. 9 May 2017
Cambridge, UK-based monoclonal antibody specialist Kymab Group today announced the appointment of Dr Sonia Quaratino as its first chief medical officer. Dr Quaratino will manage the clinical development of the group's expanding therapeutic antibody portfolio. 9 May 2017
US biotech Seattle Genetics has agreed to terminate its license agreement with Immunomedics for cancer drug candidate sacituzumab govitecan (IMMU-132) and settle the related litigation. 8 May 2017
France-headquartered Advanced Accelerator Applications is different not just because of its confidence in molecular nuclear medicine, but also because of its theragnostic approach, chief executive Stefano Buono tells The Pharma Letter. 8 May 2017
Paris, France-based GenSight Biologics has appointed Mohamed Genead, the former head of ophthalmology/retina gene therapy at Biogen, as the company’s new chief medical officer. 4 May 2017
The Russian pharmaceutical market is expected resume its growth this year, both in volume and value terms, amid the ongoing recovery of the Russian economy from the financial crisis and its consequences. 4 May 2017
Generium, one of Russia’s leading drugmakers and owned by a local billionaire Victor Kharitonin, has officially announced the establishment of a joint venture with Ireland-headquartered Shire (LSE: SHP), reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 3 May 2017
In a hard-hitting expert view piece, Dr Oded Ben-Joseph and Dr Shawn Manning, from investment bank Outcome Capital, advise on how life science companies can achieve shareholder objectives without falling into some common traps. 3 May 2017
Bayer hA appointed Bhavesh Ashar as senior vice president and head of oncology for the company's Pharmaceuticals Division in the USA, reporting to Carsten Brunn, head of Bayer Pharmaceuticals for the Americas region. 3 May 2017
Private company ImCheck Therapeutics has raised 20 million euros ($22 million) to fund research into antibodies involved in the immune system. 3 May 2017
In the midst of a comprehensive cost cutting program rumored to include thousands of job losses, Teva chief financial officer Eyal Desheh is about to quit, Israeli press reports. 3 May 2017
Recently-floated PLx Pharma has made two new executive appointments, hiring Rita O’Connor as chief financial officer and Michael Dillon as vice president of sales and marketing. 3 May 2017
In a claim that will make patient groups, PR companies and communication teams at pharma companies sit up and listen, the market access director for Swiss pharma giant Roche has said that pressure from the public and media was key to an innovative cancer drug being made available for Scottish women on the National Health Service (NHS). 27 April 2017
In an expert view piece, Dr Sinead Ni Mhurchadha of Atlantis Healthcare, a provider of personalized patient support programs, discusses the burden of chronic illness in young people, and how tailored support solutions can tackle this increasingly prevalent issue. 26 April 2017
Unusually for a biotech leader, chief executive Steve Holcombe had no previous experience or training in the life sciences when he joined vTv Therapeutics. 24 April 2017
Dr Ellen Donnelly, former head of clinical operations of the neuroscience and pain therapeutic area at Pfizer, has been appointed as chief executive officer at Modus Therapeutics. 24 April 2017
Oligonucleotide therapeutics are rapidly emerging as a promising class of drugs capable of addressing a variety of genetic and complex diseases by targeting RNA sequences.1 16 September 2024
The protection of intellectual property (IP) rights of foreign pharmaceutical companies in Russia remains complex situation, according to recent statements by Konstantin Panurovsky, legal director of AstraZeneca’s Russian subsidiary, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 13 September 2024
The Russian Ministry of Health wants to speed registration of drugs that are not localized in the Russian Federation at the time of the application submitted by domestic pharmaceutical companies, explaining such changes by "unpredictable geopolitical situation," reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 12 September 2024
NewCo, a relatively new business model that involves a joint venture (JV) between a biotech and a group of investors to bring the biotech’s promising assets to the global market, is gaining popularity among Chinese biotechs, who traditionally rely on out-licensing deals to capitalize assets, s 11 September 2024
The upcoming European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024 should provide a reminder—if it were needed—of the pace of innovation in the development of new medicines for cancer. 10 September 2024
A significant drop has been noticed in the prices of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), bringing much-needed relief to the pharmaceutical industry and potentially translating to lower drug costs for consumers. 9 September 2024
Amid an explosion in investment and development milestones seen over the past decade, the age of radiopharmaceuticals as both diagnostics and as therapeutics is very much arriving. 5 September 2024
German pharma major Bayer has filed a lawsuit against the Russian drugmaker Promomed to protect the patent rights for Xarelto (rivaroxaban), its treatment for stroke prevention which is the best-selling drug in the Russian market at present, The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent reports. 2 September 2024
In a major crackdown, the Indian government has imposed an immediate ban on 156 fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs, including commonly used antibiotics, pain relievers,and multivitamins. 27 August 2024
Russia plans to create conditions for a significant increase of domestic production of anti-Rhesus immunoglobulin drugs after a sharp decrease of their imports to the local market this year, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 22 August 2024
Accord Healthcare might not be as well-known as certain preeminent pharma corporations in the UK and Europe, but you would struggle to find any company making a greater contribution to the production and supply of medicines across the continent. 14 August 2024
The shortage of drugs in Russia is deepening, and is currently being observed in almost 70 regions throughout the country and forcing the local state to consider ways to resume stable supplies to local market, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 13 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
Domestic drugs and foreign drugs, the production of which is localized in Russia, will be given a priority when included in the list of vital and essential drugs (VED) and expensive drugs, according to a recent resolution signed by the Russian government, The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent reports. 1 August 2024