Article Listing - Biotie assets available for partnering; update on tozadenant
Emerging targeted therapies offer advantages over currently-used platinum-resistant ovarian cancer drugs
11 June 2013
The effect of an emerging therapy on key efficacy endpoints, including time to disease progression and overall survival, has the most influence over surveyed US and European oncologists' prescribing decisions for platinum-resistant advanced ovarian cancer, according to a new report from health care advisory firm Decision Resources.
Zambon to acquire UK respiratory specialist Profile Pharma
10 June 2013
Family-owned Italian drugmaker Zambon has taken a significant step to grow in the respiratory therapy area, with the planned acquisition of UK-based Profile Pharma from present owner the Philips Group. Financial details of this transaction will not be disclosed.
Licensing deals between Xenon and Isis for XEN701, and Access and AMAG for MuGard
10 June 2013
USA-based Isis Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ISIS) revealed that privately-held Canadian firm Xenon Pharmaceuticals has exercised its option to an exclusive worldwide license to XEN701, an antisense drug discovered in a collaboration between Isis and Xenon.
Alliance Boots and Walgreens expansion into China an "obvious next step," says EIU analyst
10 June 2013
Following the news that Alliance Boots and the USA's Walgreen, which initially took a 45% stake in the UK-based retailer and pharmaceutical wholesaler for $6.7 billion, with an option to buy the remainder (The Pharma Letter June 20, 2012), plan to expand into China, Ana Nicholls, healthcare analyst at The Economist Intelligence Unit, commented: "China is the obvious next step for Boots and Walgreen, now that they dominate the US and European markets.
EMA initiates consultation on guideline on biosimilars containing biotechnology-derived proteins
10 June 2013
The European Medicines Agency today (June 10) released a revision of the guideline addressing the clinical and non-clinical issues related to similar biological products (biosimilars) containing biotechnology-derived proteins as the active substance for a six-month public consultation. The document lays down the non-clinical and clinical requirements for marketing authorization of a biosimilar claiming to be similar to a biological product already marketed.
Irish Medicines Board drawing up list of generic drugs to help reduce costs
10 June 2013
In Ireland, drugs to treat medical conditions such as high cholesterol, blood pressure and stomach ulcers will be the first to be subjected to new generic substitution regulations in a bid to bring down costs, reports the Irish Independent newspaper.
Arthritis drug disappointment: will fostamatinib's failure force pharma back to the drawing board?
10 June 2013
Recent news of fostamatinib's latest failure to meet clinical endpoints marks yet another blow to an already weakened rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapeutics pipeline, and may drive manufacturers to investigate fresh approaches to drug development, says an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalData.
Regulatory briefs: Sanofi's Fluzone; Roche' RoActemra; Takeda's Rienso
10 June 2013
French pharma major Sanofi (Euronext: SAN) today (June 10) announced that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for Fluzone Quadrivalent vaccine or use in children six months of age and older, adolescents, and adults. Fluzone Quadrivalent vaccine includes two A strains and two B strains for protection against influenza disease. The Fluzone Quadrivalent vaccine will be available to health care providers in the USA for the 2013-2014 influenza season in prefilled syringes and single-dose vials for intramuscular administration.
New Zealand to fund AstraZeneca's Brilinta for acute coronary syndromes
10 June 2013
New Zealand's Pharmaceutical Management Agency, PHARMAC, says it has reached an agreement with the local subsidiary of Anglo-Swedish drug major AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) to fund the company's antiplatelet agent ticagrelor (Brilinta).
AstraZeneca to pay up to $1.15 billion to acquire Pearl Therapeutics
10 June 2013
In a further "strategic" bolt-on acquisition for Anglo-Swedish drug major AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) in less than a month, the company revealed this morning (June 10) that it has entered into a definitive agreement to buy Pearl Therapeutics, a privately held company based in Redwood City, California, focused on the development of inhaled small-molecule therapeutics for respiratory disease, for a total cost of up to $1.15 billion.
- US Supreme Court says patent settlement can "sometimes" be illegal
- InSite Vision joins Merck & Co and Pfizer in patent infringement law suit against
- Osteoporosis drug bazedoxifene stops growth of breast cancer cells, even in resistant tumors
- Additional indications in Japan for Roche's Avastin and Astellas' Prograf
- Highlights of EHA meeting: Novartis' Jakavi; Bristol-Myers and AbbVie's elotuzumab; Janssen's ibrutinib
