Look back at pharma news in week to March 30

By Barbara Obstoj-Cardwell, Editor

The topic of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) was very much in the news last week, as Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical declared that it was considering a bid for Ireland-headquartered Shire, which has long been seen as a takeover target, but not for a Japanese drug major, though no firm offer was made. Also grabbing attention was GlaxoSmithKline’s decision to opt for a $13 billion buy of Novartis’s share in their Consumer Health joint venture. Elsewhere, positive Phase III clinical trial results with Biohaven Pharmaceuticals’ migraine treatment rimegepant elicited comment, as did and Verona Pharma’s COPD drug RPL554. On the research front, however, there was also negative news for Protagonist Therapeutics’ Crohn’s disease candidate PTG-200 and Edge Therapeutics’ EG-1962 for aneurismal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH).

Japanese rescue gives Shire investors hope at last