Look back at pharma news in week to June 15

By Barbara Obstoj-Cardwell. Editor

Last week, regulatory news featured, with the announcement that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved AbbVie and Roche’s Venclexta in leukemia and lymphoma indications. Also attracting attention was China’s approval of the first immuno-oncology drug, Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Opdivo.  New clinical trial results were in focus, with yet another Alzheimer’s drug failure, this one for Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca’s candidate lanabecestat, and Vical’s herpes simplex virus vaccine disappointment in Phase II studies, but the company still has a positive pipeline. However, there was a positive surprise from Israel’s Galmed trial with Aramchol in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

FDA grants full approval for AbbVie and Roche’s venetoclax for CLL and SLL