Look back at news in week to August 31

Last week’s news attracting attention included European approvals for two CAR-T therapies, Novartis’ Kymriah and Gilead Sciences’ Yescarta, as well as AstraZeneca gaining clearance for its Lynparza in China, making it the first ovarian cancer drug to be approved under China’s accelerated system. On the research front, there was the release of new Phase III data on Pfizer’s rare heart disease drug Vyndaqel (tafamidis). Among deal-making news was that between Affimed with Roche on immunotherapies, worth a potential $5 billion, and Emergent BioSolutions announcing a second acquisition, Adapt Pharma, adding to its buy of PaxVax.

Novartis gets another CAR-T approval

New approvals for CAR-T cell juggernauts should rekindle an important conversation about how these therapies will expand their sales. Although they've started modestly, CAR-T cells from Gilead and Novartis both have the chance to create serious impact, comments Zach Hartman on Seeking