More than 100,000 Americans are currently living with sickle cell disease (SCD), which occurs in approximately one out of every 500 African-American births and one out of every 36,000 Hispanic-American births, according to estimates by the CDC. In 2017 and 2018, two new medicines to treat SCD were approved by the FDA – the first therapies to be marketed in almost two decades.
The announcement from Scott Gottlieb that he was resigning as FDA commissioner took the industry by surprise, and the news weighed heavily on biopharmaceutical equities, with the BioWorld Biopharmaceutical index falling almost 4 percent by market close Thursday. The drop in value was greater than that experienced in the general markets, with the Nasdaq Composite index and Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 2 and 1.3 percent, respectively, over the same three-day period.
Seven big pharma company executives from Abbvie Inc., Astrazeneca plc, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co. Inc., Pfizer Inc. and Sanofi SA were called to face a grilling last week from members of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee at their second hearing on prescription drug prices.
Seven big pharma company executives from Abbvie Inc., Astrazeneca plc, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co. Inc., Pfizer Inc. and Sanofi SA were called to face a grilling last week from members of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee at their second hearing on prescription drug prices.
Investors have warmed to the biopharmaceutical sector since the beginning of the year, and they are anticipating that there will be an increase in the number of M&A transactions going forward. They are looking particularly at companies in the oncology space following Eli Lilly and Co.'s $8 billion buyout of Loxo Oncology Inc. last month.
The increase in the incidence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria has galvanized governments to stimulate industry efforts to develop new therapeutics to replace its current arsenal of antibiotics. It appears that this research and development stimuli in terms of economic incentives and market exclusivity is now gathering momentum, with a host of new companies formed, thanks to venture investments, and lucrative partnerships being inked. In this two-part article, the business and financial climate for developers of antibiotics will be examined along with the product pipeline progress that is being made.
The increase in the incidence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria has galvanized governments to stimulate industry efforts to develop new therapeutics to replace its current arsenal of antibiotics. It appears that this research and development stimuli in terms of economic incentives and market exclusivity is now gathering momentum, with a host of new companies formed, thanks to venture investments, and lucrative partnerships being inked.
The increase in the incidence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria has galvanized governments to stimulate industry efforts to develop new therapeutics to replace its current arsenal of antibiotics. It appears that this research and development stimuli in terms of economic incentives and market exclusivity is now gathering momentum, with a host of new companies formed, thanks to venture investments, and lucrative partnerships being inked.
Investors have warmed to the biopharmaceutical sector since the beginning of the year, and they are anticipating that there will be an increase in the number of M&A transactions going forward. They are looking particularly at companies in the oncology space following Eli Lilly and Co.'s $8 billion buyout of Loxo Oncology Inc. last month
The biopharmaceutical sector has quickly rebounded after its dismal December performance, where it shed almost 8 percent in valuation, and it hasn't taken long for biotech investors to shake off their bear mindset. In fact, they have been generally more upbeat following the 37th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.
