Article Listing - UK NICE set for U-turn on Lucentis
Royalty Pharma ups bid for Elan to $12.50 a share
21 May 2013
ot on the heels of Ireland-based drugmaker Elan Corp's (NYSE: ELN) own acquisition plans (it is to buy AOP Orphan and Newbridge Pharma and royalty deal with Theravance; The Pharma Letters May 20 and 13), private equity firm Royalty Pharma is continuing its pursuit of the company, with an increased offer of $12.50 per share, up from its previous $11.25 bid, which was unanimously rejected by Elan's board of directors (TPLs passim).
Pfizer discontinues late-stage inotuzumab ozogamicin study in NHL due to futility
21 May 2013
Global pharma behemoth Pfizer says it is discontinuing a Phase III randomized, open-label, two-arm study (B1931008) evaluating the safety and efficacy of the investigational drug inotuzumab ozogamicin in patients with relapsed or refractory CD22+ aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) who are not candidates for intensive high-dose chemotherapy due to disappointing results.
Germany's G-BA issues final assessment for Cell Thera's Pixuvri
21 May 2013
USA-based Cell Therapeutics (Nasdaq: CTIC) says that Germany's Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) has issued its final benefit assessment report for Pixuvri (pixantrone), which is indicated as a monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) who have failed two or three prior lines of therapy.
XenoPort drops MS drug after poor trial results
21 May 2013
USA-based XenoPort (Nasdaq: XNPT) saw its shares fall 12.7% to $5.89 in mid-morning trading on Monday (May 20), after it revealed top-line results from its pivotal Phase III clinical trial of arbaclofen placarbil (AP) for the treatment of patients with spasticity due to multiple sclerosis (MS), which failed to demonstrate demonstrating that AP provided statistically significant improvement relative to placebo in the co-primary endpoints of the study.
Actavis confirms plan to acquire Warner Chilcott, in $8.5 billion deal
20 May 2013
US generics major Actavis (NYSE: ACT) revealed today (May 20) that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Ireland-based specialty drugmaker Warner Chilcott (Nasdaq: WCRX) in a stock-for-stock transaction valued at around $8.5 billion (including $3 billion of debt). Actavis' shares gained 2.6% to $128.70 in premarket trading, while those of Warner Chilcott rose 3.3% to $19.85.
Positive Ph III results for Novo Nordisk's FIX derivative for hemophilia B
20 May 2013
Danish insulin giant Novo Nordisk (NOV: N) says it has completed paradigm 2, the first Phase III trial with a long-acting FIX derivative, N9-GP (glycopegylated recombinant factor IX), for hemophilia B patients, with successful results. Paradigm 2 is a multicenter, blinded trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of N9-GP when used for on-demand or prophylactic treatment in patients with haemophilia B.
CIS countries prepare for the introduction of drug reimbursement schemes
20 May 2013
Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan have recently taken steps to introduce drug reimbursement schemes similar to those functioning in other countries. If introduced, these could completely change the operating environment on both the generic and innovative drug markets in these countries.
Stallergenes and DBV Technologies partner on developing novel respiratory allergies treatments
20 May 2013
French biotech firms DBV Technologies (Euronext: DBV), creator of Viaskin, a new standard in the treatment of allergies, and Stallergenes (Euronext Paris CAC small), worldwide leader in allergen immunotherapy, have entered into a strategic research partnership.
Lundbeck and Takeda's Brintellix shows positive results in Ph III major depression study
20 May 2013
Danish CNS specialist Lundbeck (LUND: DC) and partner Takeda Pharmaceutical (TYO: 4502), Japan's largest drugmaker, are presenting new data on four pivotal studies on Brintellix (vortioxetine), a novel investigational drug, at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in San Francisco, taking place May 18-22, demonstrating efficacy at doses of 15mg and 20mg per day including an improvement of overall functioning.
Access to medicines in Europe: the EU cannot save banks while sacrificing people's health
20 May 2013
In a seminar hosted last week by the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats (S&D) in the European Parliament and the Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Alejandro Cercas (S&D, Spain), six MEPs from various political groups, along with representatives of governments, leading academics, researches and public health organizations met to raise awareness about one of the most alarming issues that European health care systems face - the increasingly inadequate public access to medicines and its dire consequences, according to a web posting by the European Public Health Alliance.
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- Elan makes "transformational" acquisitions and a divestment
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- SciClone gains China rights to Zensun's Neucardin
