Latest Pharma and Biotech News
Biotechnology
15 November 2024 Merck & Co has entered into an exclusive global license to develop, manufacture and commercialize LM-299 from China-based clinical-stage biotech LaNova Medicines, bringing the US pharma giant into the newly attractive PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody space.
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Pharmaceutical
Johnson & Johnson has taken legal action to defend a contentious rebate initiative, filing a lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. 15 November 2024
Biotechnology
Shanghai-based biopharma Zai Lab has announced the pricing of its underwritten public offering at $25.50 per share, aiming to raise around $200 million. 15 November 2024
Biotechnology
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved an updated version of Novavax’s Nuvaxovid jab targeting the latest subvariant. 15 November 2024
Biosimilars
South Korean biosimilars company Celltrion today announced its acquisition of iQone Healthcare Switzerland a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on distribution, sales, and marketing in Switzerland. 15 November 2024
Biotechnology
The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) human medicines committee (CHMP) made a number of recommendations at its November meeting, notable among which was a reversal of a previous rejection of Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi (lecanemab). 15 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
The share prices of Pfizer, GSK, Novavax and other vaccine companies were all markedly lower on Friday. This was not due to the publication of disappointing research results in the sphere, or an ominous stance taken by a major regulator on a key filing, but rather a political development that could spell trouble for the vaccines field as a whole. 15 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
French pharma major Sanofi today announced an investment of 40 million euros ($42.4 million) in its Lyon Gerland bioproduction site, consolidating its role as a strategic platform dedicated to immunology. 15 November 2024
Biotechnology
UK drugmaker GSK might be trading lower following Thursday’s nomination of vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr as the USA’s next health secretary, but the day brought good news for the group elsewhere in the business. 15 November 2024
Biotechnology
Oxford, UK-based rare respiratory diseases focused AlveoGene today revealed it has been granted a Rare Pediatric Disease designation (RPDD) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for AVG-002, its novel, inhaled gene therapy for lethal neonatal surfactant protein B (SP-B) deficiency. 15 November 2024
Biotechnology
Shares of German drug discovery company Evotec leapt 20% to 10.33 euros this morning on the revelation that the USA’s Halozyme Therapeutics has submitted a non-binding proposal to acquire Evotec for 11.00 euros per share in cash, implying a fully-diluted equity value of around 2.0 billion euros ($2.12 billion). 15 November 2024
Biotechnology
BeiGene has announced plans to rebrand as BeOne Medicines, a move the cancer specialist says reflects its commitment to fighting cancer through collaboration. 15 November 2024
Biosimilars
Swiss generic and biosimilar medicines major Sandoz today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for Afqlir (aflibercept) 2mg vial kit and pre-filled syringe for intravitreal injection. 15 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
USA-based Paratek Pharmaceuticals has released positive top-line data from a Phase IIb trial evaluating its oral antibiotic omadacycline in adult patients with non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pulmonary disease. 15 November 2024
Biotechnology
Merck & Co has entered into an exclusive global license to develop, manufacture and commercialize LM-299 from China-based clinical-stage biotech LaNova Medicines, bringing the US pharma giant into the newly attractive PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody space. 15 November 2024
Biotechnology
ALX Oncology Holdings, a Californian immuno-oncology company, has announced the appointment of Alan Sandler as chief medical officer (CMO). 14 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
Privately-held Montanan firm Microbion has announced promising findings from its Phase II study of pravibismane, a topical treatment aimed at addressing diabetic foot ulcer infections (DFI). 14 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
USA-based ARTBIO, a radiopharma firm working on alpha radioligand therapies, has entered a global licensing and research partnership with Berlin-based 3B Pharmaceuticals (3BP). 14 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
While sky high expectations for Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide have not yet been realized, more positive data add to a growing sense that the future could be as bright as imagined. 14 November 2024
Pharmaceutical
Germany’s Merck KGaA was trading 5% lower as Thursday’s trading day neared its end, after the company announced its third-quarter financial results and outlook for the rest of the year. 14 November 2024
Biotechnology
Swiss clinical-stage biopharma AC Immune saw its shares gain 8% to $3.38 in US trading this morning, after it released positive interim safety and immunogenicity data from the Phase II VacSYn clinical trial evaluating ACI-7104.056. 14 November 2024
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Pharmaceutical
Australia’s medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), today announced the granting of provisional approval for US biotech firm Novavax’ COVID-19 vaccine. 20 January 2022
Pharmaceutical
A positive decision from the European medicine regulator’s scientific panel makes another approval for the vasculitis med Tavneos (avacopan) likely. 20 January 2022
Biotechnology
UK regulator the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has granted a marketing authorization for Jyseleca (filgotinib 200mg tablets), as a new treatment for ulcerative colitis (UC) in Great Britain. 19 January 2022
Pharmaceutical
Shares of USA-based biotech Zogenix shot up more than 70% to $26.24 in US trading this morning, after Belgian drug major UCB revealed it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire the rare diseases drug developer. 19 January 2022
Biotechnology
US pharma giant Merck & Co has announced the final results from the Phase III KEYNOTE-394 trial investigating Keytruda (pembrolizumab) plus best supportive care (BSC) in patients in Asia with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) previously treated with sorafenib. 19 January 2022
Biotechnology
Positive results from the HIMALAYA Phase III trial showed a single priming dose of tremelimumab added to Imfinzi (durvalumab) demonstrated a statistically-significant and clinically-meaningful improvement in overall survival (OS) versus sorafenib as a first-line treatment for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who had not received prior systemic therapy and were not eligible for localized treatment. 19 January 2022
Biotechnology
New biotech company Altos Labs has launched today with the aim of unraveling the deep biology of cellular rejuvenation programming, with $3 billion fully committed from renowned company builders and investors. 19 January 2022
Biotechnology
UK-based stem cell and exosomes technologies company ReNeuron Group lost 44% of its stock market value on Tuesday. 19 January 2022
Biotechnology
A novel antisense medicine, previously dropped by Roche, is to be picked up again in the hope of making a breakthrough in Huntington's disease (HD). 19 January 2022
Biosimilars
Biosimilars focussed Icelandic company Alvotech Holdings and Oaktree Acquisition Corp. II (Oaktree II), a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by an affiliate of Oaktree Capital Management, today announced $21 million in additional commitments for a private placement (PIPE) of Oaktree II common stock in connection with their proposed business combination. 19 January 2022
Biotechnology
US consumer genetics and research company 23andMe Holding closed own 6.6% at $4.84 yesterday, despite providing a positive update on its collaboration with UK pharma major GlaxoSmithKline. 19 January 2022
Biotechnology
The latest safety data from the European Medicines Agency provides reassurance on the use of mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 during pregnancy. 19 January 2022
Biotechnology
USA-based EQRx (Nasdaq: EQRX), which launched in January 2020 with the aim of creating patent-protected medicines at dramatically lower prices, along with its China-based partner CStone Pharmaceuticals (HKEX: 2616), yesterday announced that sugemalimab plus chemotherapy demonstrated a statistically-significant improvement in overall survival (OS) compared to placebo plus chemotherapy as a first-line treatment for patients with Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the randomized, double-blind Phase III GEMSTONE-302 study. 19 January 2022
Pharmaceutical
As the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) looks set to approve changes to the way it evaluates new medicines and health technologies, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry believes that – taken in their entirety - the changes will move the needle in the right direction for NHS patients. 19 January 2022
Biotechnology
Belgium biopharma UCB has announced positive top-line interim analysis results showing that the Phase III BE MOBILE 1 study met the primary and all ranked secondary endpoints. 18 January 2022
Biotechnology
The US Food and Drug Administration has extended the review period for the biologics licensing applications (BLA) for its lentiviral vector gene therapies – betibeglogene autotemcel (beti-cel) for β-thalassemia and elivaldogene autotemcel (eli-cel) for cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (CALD), submitted by bluebird bio, whose shares dived more than 11% to $8.27. 18 January 2022
Biotechnology
French hearing loss specialist Sensorion saw its share plummet 42% yesterday, when it announced disappointing research results, and a further 13.7% to 0.91 euros today. 18 January 2022
Biotechnology
Cell and gene therapy (CGT) manufacturing technology company Ori Biotech has secured more than $100 million in an oversubscribed Series B funding round. 18 January 2022
Pharmaceutical
French independent pharma firm Servier today published its results for the 2020/21 financial year, ending on September 30, 2021. 18 January 2022
Pharmaceutical
So-called ‘pharma bro’ Martin Shkreli has been held liable for antitrust claims brought by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and a group of seven state enforcers. 18 January 2022
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