Global report - October 24, 2019
Biogen & Eisai revive plan for Alzheimer’s drug – positive news for BioArctic’s drug candidate
Biogen and Eisai will seek U.S. approval for the Alzheimer’s treatment aducanumab, which works on a similar principal as BioArctic’s BAN2401. Biogen and Eisai decided to end the two late-stage trials of aducanumab in March when a so-called “futility analysis” revealed the trials had little hope of succeeding, reports Reuters. However, Biogen has now said […]
Funding - October 23, 2019
AstraZeneca commits $35 million to non-communicable diseases
The company will extend funding for its award-winning Young Health Programme for a further five years with a pledge of $35 million to help to educate young people on the steps they can take to reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases. These diseases, which include cancer, diabetes, heart disease and heart failure, are responsible for […]
Global report - October 21, 2019
A new center in Washington has been named after Hans Rosling
University of Washington in Seattle, USA, has decided a building under construction will be named after the late Karolinska Institutet-professor Hans Rosling. In 2016, the UW launched its Population Health Initiative, an interdisciplinary effort across the university to bring understanding and solutions to the biggest health challenges facing communities in the Pacific Northwest, the U.S. and […]
Global report - August 27, 2019
Landmark ruling against Johnson & Johnson in opioid trial
A judge in Oklahoma has ruled that Johnson & Johnson will have to pay the state $572 million for its role in fueling the opioid crisis. The state of Oklahoma argued that Johnson & Johnson (and its pharmaceutical subsidiary Janssen) created a “public nuisance” by deceptively advertising opioid painkillers to doctors. In defense, Johnson and […]
Acquisition - July 5, 2019
Altimmune acquires Spitfire Pharma
The company announced earlier this summer that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Spitfire Pharma, Inc. (Spitfire) including its product candidate SP-1373 (to be renamed ALT-801), a potent GLP-1/Glucagon receptor co-agonist for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Spitfire, a portfolio company of Presidio Partners, was founded by John J. Nestor, Jr., Ph.D. and Velocity Pharmaceutical […]
Global report - June 29, 2019
Fujifilm constructs new cell culture media manufacturing site in Europe
The company has announced plans to open a third manufacturing facility located in Tilburg, Netherlands. The company currently has sites in the United States and Japan. Fujifilm’s investment in this project demonstrates its commitment to accelerate development in bioproduction and, cell and gene therapy markets, it states. The biopharmaceutical market is growing at a high […]