Roche and Icagen have agreed on a licensing and collaboration deal around ion channel modulators for neurological disorders. The duo did not disclose Roche’s upfront payment or research funding, but Icagen stands to receive up to $274 million in development and commercial milestones. The pair will work on small molecules using Icagen’s platform for ion
Recently, Swiss biotech company Lonza officially opened its new cell and gene therapy manufacturing plant in Pearland, near Houston, Texas. The facility’s 300,000 square feet make it the world’s largest manufacturing plant devoted to making these types of materials, according to a statement. “This facility has the potential to produce treatment for thousands of patients
Researchers have discovered that a blood-thinning drug, dabigatran, can significantly reduce the risk of death, heart attack, stroke, and other heart or blood-vessel complications in patients who have a heart injury following major, non-cardiac surgery. Every year, around eight million people in the world develop a condition called myocardial injury after non-cardiac surgery (MINS), which
Eli Lilly has picked up yet another FDA approval for CDK4/6 inhibitor Verzenio – its third in five months – as it tries to chase down Pfizer’s category-leading Ibrance. The US regulator has given the nod to Verzenio for use in combination with an aromatase inhibitor as initial endocrine-based therapy for women with breast cancer
Sanofi Pasteur has signed a deal with SK Chemicals to license cell culture vaccine technology as the US is hit by a flu epidemic, reportedly one of the worst in recent history, which has highlighted the need for a universal vaccine and more potent flu shots produced in cells instead of eggs. To get exclusive
Swedish Biopharmaceutical company, Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB has announced that the FDA has issued a “study may proceed” letter for the first study in humans, thereby accepting the investigational new drug (IND) application for the drug candidate SOBI003 for the treatment of mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIA. In addition, SOBI003 was granted Fast Track status by the
Novartis’ CDK4/6 inhibitor Kisqali has acquired Breakthrough status in the US as an initial endocrine-based treatment in certain patients with breast cancer. The FDA awarded the designation for of pre- or perimenopausal women with hormone-receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 negative (HR+/HER2-) advanced or metastatic breast cancer in combination with tamoxifen or an aromatase
Novo Nordisk has acquired its first global approval for its once-weekly diabetes therapy Ozempic in the US. The FDA has approved the drug’s use alongside diet and exercise to improve glycaemic control in adults with type II diabetes. Ozempic is a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist that induced clinically meaningful and statistically significant reductions
Novo Nordisk has stated that it will maximise efforts to treat obesity – a major cause of diabetes – as it moves forward with a clinical study. With its established diabetes treatments in the firing line, especially due to U.S. price pressures, Novo Nordisk is pinning hopes for growth on expanding its obesity franchise. Novo’s
Alexion has finally claimed FDA approval for its complement inhibitor Soliris in Myasthenia Gravis (MG), which could potentially add $1bn-plus in peak sales for the product. The US regulator has approved Soliris (Eculizumab) to treat adults with refractory generalised MG who are anti-acetylcholine receptor (AchR) antibody-positive, a patient group that “continues to suffer from significant
