Look back at pharma news in week to March 8

By Barbara Obstoj-Cardwell. Editor

The flurry of pharma/biotech M&A deals since the start of 2019 continues into March, with Biogen announcing its $877 million deal to acquire Nightstar Therapeutics. The decision last week of US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb – seen as one of the most proactive heads of the FDA - to quit the post after just two years came as something of a surprise. Significant regulatory news last week included FDA approval for Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen’s ketamine-based antidepressant Spravato. On the research front, Allergan’s hopes for its depression candidate rapastinel suffered a setback in the latest trial data revealed on Wednesday.

Nightstar gives Biogen a cheap way to expand in gene therapy