The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is backing NHS use of Janssen’s Darzalex via the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) for some adults with previously treated multiple myeloma.
News
Keytruda/chemo combo extends survival in NSCLC patients
A combination of MSD’s Keytruda and chemotherapy extended overall survival when used as a first-line treatment of patients with metastatic non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Merck, CR UK, ICR collaborate on cancer drug discovery
Cancer Research UK’s Commercial Partnerships Team and The Institute of Cancer Research, London, have entered into a multi-project collaboration and licensing deal with Germany’s Merck to discover and develop new anticancer therapies.
Novartis’ Cosentyx beats J&J’s Stelara in psoriasis trial
Novartis has released trial data showing that Cosentyx was “significantly more effective” than Johnson & Johnson’s rival biologic Stelara in achieving clear skin in patients with psoriasis.
A&E pressures not down to GP access, study finds
The rising tide of accident and emergency attendances is being driven by long-term health conditions rather than a lack of GP provision, concludes a study by Queen Mary University of London.
Avacta, Glythera link to develop drug conjugates
UK companies Avacta and Glythera have sealed a licensing deal to develop drug conjugates using their combined technologies.
SMC bars four medicines from NHS
The Scottish Medicines Consortium has rejected NHS funding for four new therapies, including Bristol-Myers Squibb and Roche’s respective cancer medicines Opdivo and Gazyvaro.
US expands scope of BI’s lung cancer drug Gilotrif
US regulators have approved a supplemental New Drug Application for Boehringer Ingelheim’s lung cancer drug Gilotrif for first-line treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer whose tumours have non-resistant epidermal growth factor receptor.
PHE confirms measles outbreaks in five areas of England
Health officials are urging the public make sure they are up to date with MMR vaccinations after outbreaks of measles were confirmed in five areas of England.
UK startup developing flu jab attracts £20m investment
A UK startup spun out from Oxford University in 2016 currently working on a universal flu vaccine is being backed by Google parent company Alphabet.
EU nod for Shire’s longer-acting haemophilia A therapy
Shire’s Adynovi has been approved for use in Europe for on-demand and prophylactic use in patients 12 years and older with the rare bleeding disorder haemophilia A.
US approves AZ/MSD’s Lynparza for breast cancer
US regulators have further expanded the scope of AstraZeneca and MSD’s Lynparza to include treatment of patients with BCRA-mutant metastatic breast cancer.
Tesco teams up with UK charities to boost public health
UK supermarket giant Tesco will share anonymised sales information with partner charities in a bid to help develop insight on health policy and public health programmes.
NHS chooses next batch of entrepreneurs for support
The NHS has now chosen 138 clinical entrepreneurs to design and deliver new technological solutions and innovations in healthcare, including the appointment of five healthcare scientists working on addressing conditions such as sickle cell disease and allergic reactions.
Emergency care in England “in a state of emergency”
Emergency care is now in a state of emergency as missed targets reach an all-time high, bed occupancy rates surge, and flu cases increase sharply, and health chiefs warn that patients are “dying in corridors” and the system is “on its knees”.
