The Australian government delivered an early Christmas present to the biopharma industry in the form of a new National Medicines Policy that delivered the major objectives industry had requested. Among those objectives is a clear vision statement that aims to “achieve the world’s best health, social and economic outcomes for all Australians through a highly supportive medicines policy environment.”

Recbio’s COVID-19 vaccine shows better efficacy against omicron than Comirnaty

Jiangsu Recbio Technology Co. Ltd. released phase II data showing its recombinant two-component COVID-19 vaccine Recov appeared more effective than Comirnaty (tozinameran), the mRNA vaccine developed by Biontech SE and Pfizer Inc., as a booster for users of inactivated vaccines. The phase II study done in the Philippines compared Recov to Comirnaty as a booster for people who had completed their primary vaccination courses using inactivated vaccines, which are widely used in mainland China, where mRNA vaccines developed abroad have not been approved.

ABPI looks to new settlement to tame UK drug rebates

Facing a 26.5% rebate on their 2023 prescription drug sales in the U.K., up from 15% in 2022, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) is seeking talks with the government early in the new year to develop a new biopharma settlement for the future that will reflect the potential of the life sciences sector to drive improvements in the health and economy of the U.K. “Following the pandemic, the existing system has been forced beyond breaking point and is now well outside anything seen elsewhere in the developed world,” ABPI Chief Executive Richard Torbett said. He added that “next year, we must start again with a clean sheet of paper to agree on what an internationally competitive scheme looks like.”

Top Trends of 2022: European pharma embroiled in turmoil of Ukraine war in 2022

2022 was a year of turmoil in Europe as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the fall-out from the COVID-19 pandemic shaped the fortunes of the life sciences industry. After years of tension, Russia’s attempt to annex Ukraine on Feb. 24 caused outrage and disruption and was unanimously opposed on humanitarian grounds by the life sciences and pharma industry.

Newco news: Lusaris tackling treatment-resistant depression with neuroplastogen approach

Over the past few years, the pandemic clearly has put a spotlight on vaccines and the infectious disease space. But the struggle to adjust in COVID-19’s wake also brought into stark relief another high unmet need. “Coming out of COVID, there was a mental health focus coming into play,” said Andrew Levin, partner and managing director at investment firm RA Capital Management who is also serving as interim CEO at Lusaris Therapeutics Inc., a 2021 startup targeting neuropsychiatric and neurological conditions, with an initial focus on treatment-resistant depression.

Russia imposing its regulatory framework on Ukrainian territories

Although the war is still raging in Ukraine, Russia is marching forward with asserting its regulatory framework on health care in the parts of Ukraine it’s claiming as the spoils of the war it started 11 months ago. The Russian Ministry of Health launched a series of webinars this week intended to educate health care organizations in the “new territories” of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions about that framework, including legislation regulating the public procurement of medical products. The webinar series is designed to help speed the integration of those territories into Russia’s health care system, the ministry said.

Also in the news

AB Science, Acasti, Alzamend, Astrazeneca, Biomind Labs, Can-Fite, Clene, Crystal Research, Genentech, Gilead, Innocare, Intercept, Ipsen, Janux, Jounce, Kaken, Kala, Leo, Mediwound, Mindrank AI, Minerva, Neuren, Neurocrine, Nova Mentis, Opus Genetics, PDS, Pfizer, Polarean, Regeneron, Revive, Springworks, Valneva, Zielbio