Article Listing - Teva loses exclusivity on pravastatin, US FDA
Novo A/S acquires Norway's Xellia Pharmaceuticals in $700 million deal
21 May 2013
Denmark-based Novo A/S, the holding company of the Novo Group and the major shareholder in Novo Nordisk and Novozymes, has purchased all shares of the Norwegian firm Xellia Pharmaceutical for around $700 million from 3i and other current shareholders. As a consequence of the transaction, Xellia will revert to Danish ownership with headquarters in Copenhagen.
Ignyta acquires Actagene Oncology and entry into cancer personalized medicine
21 May 2013
Privately-held US biotechnology company, Ignyta, which engages in catalyzing personalized medicine in autoimmune diseases, says it has acquired Actagene Oncology, effective May 20. Actagene was a San Diego-based privately held biotechnology company founded in February 2013 that was developing personalized medicines for high unmet need cancer indications, based on cancer genome mining and sequencing. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Is failure to adopt business process management putting the pharma industry at risk?
21 May 2013
The dynamic pharmaceutical, biotech and life-science sectors are constantly evolving. With frequent mergers, acquisitions, competitive pressures and the need to meet stringent regulation, companies operating in this arena need to be able to analyze and streamline core business processes - as well as deliver corporate and regulatory governance to the highest standards, say Jeff Fraleigh, US senior vice president and Eileen Cairo, senior consultant at Casewise, in a contributed article for The Pharma Letter.
Pace of drug approvals to moderate for global pharma companies, says Fitch Ratings
21 May 2013
Global pharmaceutical novel drug approvals will moderate in 2013 due to the exceptional research success in 2012, according to a Fitch Ratings report.
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.
- Drug prices to plunge as Indian government announces plans to regulate rates of 652 medicines
- Elan makes "transformational" acquisitions and a divestment
- HIV vaccines: small biotech and government-funded organizations will step in where Big Pharma has fallen short, says analyst
- CIS countries prepare for the introduction of drug reimbursement schemes
- Greek research-based drugmaker group AIFD challenges generics assumptions in Draft Patent Law
