Europe’s pharmaceutical industry has warned the conflict in Ukraine is disrupting supplies of medicines and clinical trials, while pledging free medicines to the humanitarian effort to those caught in or fleeing from the Russian invasion. A representative of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, which has an affiliate in Ukraine, told BioWorld that the disruption has left pharma industry staff in that country taking to emergency shelters. Read More
Biocon Ltd. said its subsidiary Biocon Biologics Ltd. has agreed to buy out partner Viatris Inc., bringing aboard the latter’s biosimilars business, for $3.34 billion, including cash of $2.34 billion and compulsorily convertible preference shares (CCPS) in BBL, valued at $1 billion. Read More
LONDON – Antibody-drug conjugate specialist Heidelberg Pharma AG has secured a route into Asia and a fresh injection of much-needed capital, in a licensing and equity deal with Huadong Medicine Co. Ltd. worth up to €930 million (US$1.1 billion). Read More
Reports of two patient deaths prompted Celyad Oncology SA to voluntarily pause a phase Ib trial testing its allogeneic CAR T-cell therapy, CYAD-101, in combination with Keytruda (pembrolizumab, Merck & Co. Inc.) in patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), the latest safety hitch among efforts to advance the promise of CAR T beyond the first approvals in hematological malignancies. Read More
Despite Reata Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s complete response letter (CRL) for bardoxolone in treating kidney function loss in those with Alport syndrome, the street treated the company well on Feb. 28. The stock (NASDAQ:RETA) rose 25.3% as the company decides how it wants to handle the CRL.
Shares in Glaxosmithkline plc ticked down after the U.K. pharma announced that enrolment and vaccination in three trials of its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) maternal vaccine will stop, after a safety issue prompted a voluntary pause last week. Read More
The U.S. is making strides in addressing the drug and device supply chain vulnerabilities revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but there’s still a lot of work to do to reduce dependance on sole source suppliers and foreign manufacturing, according to a new Health and Human Services (HHS) report. Read More
Shanghai Henlius Biotech Inc. has licensed its adalimumab biosimilar Handayuan to Getz Pharma Pvt. Ltd. and its affiliated company Getz Pharma International FZ LLC in an $8 million deal. Read More
The EU initiated a dispute complaint with the World Trade Organization over China’s intellectual property (IP) enforcement allowing Chinese courts to block infringement litigation worldwide. The Feb. 18 complaint, posted by the WTO last week, takes issue with Chinese courts issuing global injunctions barring patent holders from asserting their rights through legal proceedings in other countries until the case is settled in China. Read More
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and its U.S.-based Janssen Pharmaceutical Cos. reported that they have a sufficient level of participation to move forward with a $5 billion nationwide settlement to resolve opioid-related claims and litigation by states, cities, counties and other government subdivisions in the U.S. Read More
New hires and promotions in the biopharma industry, including: Alltrna, Bioventus, Cour, Cullinan, Dewpoint, Fusion Antibodies, Ichnos, Jasper, Macrogenics, Noema, Orphazyme, Targovax. Read More
New and updated preclinical and clinical data presented by biopharma firms at the ASCO Genitourinary
Cancers Symposium, including: Amgen, Knopp, Regeneron, Sanofi. Read More
