Look back at pharma news in the week to August 16

M&A news last week featured Jazz Pharmaceuticals buying US biotech firm Cavion along with its CX-8998, a neurological drug being developed as a treatment for essential tremor. Research news included Deciphera presenting positive results for ripretinib in gastrointestinal stromal tumors and AstraZeneca’s release of new data on Lynparza in the ovarian cancer setting. There were also a bunch of US Food and Drug Administration approvals, including Roche gaining clearance of its Rozlytrek for NSCLC in both adults and adolescents. Also, the agency approved AbbVie’s Rinvoq for rheumatoid arthritis.

Experimental Jazz sounds a new not with Cavion acquisition

In its last two acquisition forays Jazz Pharmaceuticals has bought oncology companies, but last week’s purchase of  Cavion marks a return to its central nervous system roots, noted Lisa Urquhart on Vantage, the editorial arm of the Evaluate group, but pointing out that the move is not without risk.