30 December 2024 Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) combine monoclonal antibody (MAb) specificity with cytotoxic drug potency via a linker, delivering targeted cancer therapy. ADCs concentrate treatment at tumor sites, enhancing efficacy while minimizing harm to healthy tissues.
Full mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology in 2024 fluctuated throughout the year with hardly any in some months and a significant number in other. But one thing was clear – buyers were shying away from big bets on commercially ready medicines in favor of earlier stage drug developers. 3 January 2025
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals has acquired UK-based biotech Oxular, enhancing its gene therapy development program with the firm’s specialized ocular delivery tech. 3 January 2025
One of the most promising areas of medical innovation in the next five years is immuno-oncology (I-O)/cancer therapeutics represent, fundamentally transforming how cancer is treated. 3 January 2025
Massachusetts, USA-based based brain disease biotech Neumora Therapeutics shares tumbled 81.4% to 1.97 after it revealed that its experimental depression treatment failed in the first of three studies planned by the biotech company. 3 January 2025
Hutchmed has announced agreements to divest its 45% equity stake in Shanghai Hutchison Pharmaceuticals Limited (SHPL) for $608 million in cash. The buyers are GP Health Service Capital and Shanghai Pharmaceuticals. 2 January 2025
Kazia Therapeutics, an oncology-focused Australian drug developer, has been advised by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that accelerated approval for its brain cancer drug, paxalisib, is unlikely. 2 January 2025
The type 1 diabetes (T1D) market across the seven major markets (7MM: USA, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, and Japan) is set to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.3% from $2.2 billion in 2023 to $9.9 billion in 2033. 2 January 2025
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the New Drug Application (NDA) under the accelerated approval pathway for avutometinib, an oral RAF/MEK clamp, in combination with defactinib. 2 January 2025
The new $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs went into effect as of January 1, 2025, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra has announced. 2 January 2025
The market for artificial intelligence (AI) in cancer care is projected to grow from $2.2 billion in 2024 to $6.3 billion by 2029, reflecting a growth rate of 23.1%, according to a recent study by BCC Research. 31 December 2024
The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved Winrevair (sotatercept) to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), from US pharma giant Merck & Co. 31 December 2024
US CNS specialist Axsome Therapeutics yesterday announced the completion of its Phase III clinical program evaluating AXS-05 (dextromethorphan-bupropion). 31 December 2024
It has been a year since the launch of Zepbound (tirzepatide) for obesity, and US pharma major Eli Lilly’s competition with Denmark’s Novo Nordisk continues. 31 December 2024
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reopening the comment period for the Federal Register notice (FRN), “Evaluating the Immunogenicity Risk of Host Cell Proteins in Follow-on Recombinant Peptide Products: Establishment of a Public Docket: Request for Information and Comments” due to high interest from industry. 31 December 2024
The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued a warning urging the public to avoid purchasing weight-loss medicines without a prescription. 30 December 2024
For many in the life sciences, the year gone by has been marked by volatility across a range of metrics, as political and economic disruptions threaten to upend the standard operating model. 30 December 2024
China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has recently approved Zorifer (zorifertinib), an oral epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) specifically for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with CNS metastases. 30 December 2024
The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) has approved the use of Hyqvia (immune globulin infusion 10% [human] with recombinant human hyaluronidase) in patients with agammaglobulinemia or hypogammaglobulinemia disorders, from domestic drug giant Takeda Pharma 27 December 2024
Japanese drugmaker Kaken Pharmaceutical has entered into a license agreement with US healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson for the global development, manufacturing and commercialization of a STAT6 program that Kaken is developing. 27 December 2024
Akums, India’s largest contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), has signed a strategic agreement with an undisclosed global pharmaceutical company. 27 December 2024
USA-based neurodegenerative disorders specialist Annovis Bio saw its shares plunge 60% to $7.28 by close of trading, despite what it said were positive results for its Alzheimer’s disease (AD) candidate. 30 April 2024
More prominent warnings are to be added to the package insert of montelukast (Singulair) in the UK, reminding patients and healthcare professionals that they should be alert to serious behavior and mood-related changes (neuropsychiatric reactions) associated with the treatment, said the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). 30 April 2024
The world’s top 20 pharma companies spent $145 billion between them on R&D investments in 2022-23 - compared to the prior year’s $139 million - according to research from the professional services firm Deloitte. 29 April 2024
Osaka, Japan-based drugmaker Ono Pharmaceutical has entered into a drug discovery collaboration agreement with fellow Japanese firm PRISM BioLab. 29 April 2024
Interpharma, the association of research-based pharmaceutical companies in Switzerland, has called on lawmakers to reconsider a cost containment package which it says “is putting patient access at risk.” 29 April 2024
Family-controlled Spanish pharma company Esteve has signed a binding offer with USA-based Perrigo Company to acquire the latter’s HRA Pharma Rare Diseases, a specialist in rare and ultra-rare diseases. 29 April 2024
The fact that the government has exempted the parallel importers from the obligation to contribute to the critical medicine stocks creates an extremely competitive situation, says Ida Sofie Jensen, chief executive of Lif, the Danish Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry. 29 April 2024
US pharma major AbbVie announced financial results for the first quarter of 2024, showing that worldwide net revenues were $12.310 billion, an increase of 0.7% on a reported basis, or 1.6% on an operational basis. 26 April 2024
Privately-held Isotope Technologies Munich (ITM) is not just the radiopharmaceutical company that can do it all - from manufacturing and supplying medical radioisotopes to developing a broad precision oncology pipeline, including two Phase III studies. 26 April 2024
In a recent comment letter to US President Biden’s trade ambassador, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) encourages the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) to strengthen medical supply chains by negotiating meaningful trade agreements. 26 April 2024
US pharma giant Merck & Co raised and narrowed its forecasts for profit and sales for 2024 in presenting its first-quarter financial results. 25 April 2024
In its first quarter 2024 results statement, Bristol Myers Squibb beat expectations on revenues, which increased 5% to $11.9 billion, although it posted a loss per share of $5.89, due to charges from recently-closed deals. 25 April 2024
UK health technology assessor the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published its Final Draft Guidance (FDG) on a combination therapy from Swiss pharma giant Novartis. 25 April 2024
Belgium’s largest drugmaker UCB today announced an update on its progress at its annual shareholder meeting (AGM), with the news edging its shares up 1.7% to 122.90 by midday. 25 April 2024
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday announced the approval of Pivya (pivmecillinam) tablets for the treatment of female adults with uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by susceptible isolates of Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis and Staphylococcus saprophyticus. 25 April 2024
San Diego, USA-based Travere Therapeutics and CSL Vifor today announced that the European Commission has granted conditional marketing authorization (CMA) for Filspari (sparsentan). 24 April 2024
Swiss pharma giant Roche first-quarter 2024 sales figures this morning that were disappointing in some respects and saw the firm’s shares fall 3.5% to 221.70 francs. 24 April 2024
Swiss pharma giant Novartis and the product development partnership Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) have announced positive data from their Phase II/III CALINA study. 24 April 2024