The NHS once again failed to hit key access targets during the final quarter of the year, according to latest quarterly monitoring report from The King’s Fund, which also highlighted that financial predictions remain gloomy.
News
Astellas and Gedeon named for ABPI Code breaches
Astellas UK and Gedeon Richter (UK) have been named in advertisements for breaching the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry’s Code of Practice.
Novartis’ CAR-T shows durable response in lymphoma patients
Novartis’ closely-watched CTL019 has elicited a strong response in cancer patients taking the experimental CAR-T cell therapy in a mid-stage trial.
Tagrisso shows benefit in NSCLC patients with CNS metastases
AstraZeneca has presented new data showing that Tagrisso also extends progression-free survival for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who have central nervous system (CNS) metastases.
EU nod for Novo’s long-acting haemophilia drug
Novo Nordisk says it expects to launch its long-acting haemophilia B drug Refixia in the European Union in the fourth quarter of this year after receiving a green light from regulators.
AZ divests migraine drug to Grünenthal
AstraZeneca has sold global rights (ex Japan) for its migraine drug Zomig to Grünenthal, as it continues to shed products outside of its area of strategic focus.
Syphilis rates in England hit 67-year high
The number of cases of syphilis in England has hit the highest level since 1949, according to new figures from Public Health England, prompting calls for improved access to sexual health services.
Novartis links with IBM Watson Health on breast cancer
Novartis and IBM Watson are teaming up in a “ground-breaking collaboration” that aims to marry machine learning with real-world data to improve outcomes in advanced breast cancer.
NICE backs Allergan’s Ozurdex, AbbVie’s Humira for uveitis
Cost regulators for the NHS in England and Wales are backing routine use of Allergan’s Ozurdex and AbbVie’s Humira to treat non-infectious posterior uveitis, a form of preventable vision loss.
BMS, Novartis to test Mekinist/Opdivo combo
Novartis and Bristol-Myers Squibb have signed a clinical research pact to investigate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of combining their respective drugs Mekinist and Opdivo.
Glythera launches Innovate UK-funded ADC project
UK biotech Glythera has announced the launch of a £1 million Innovate UK grant-funded project to develop next-generation antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) for difficult-to-treat tumours.
EU approves Opdivo for bladder cancer
Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Opdivo has picked up approval for its eighth indication in Europe, having won clearance for the treatment of a subset of patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC).
AZ’ Lynparza cuts risk of breast cancer progression
AstraZeneca has unveiled new data showing a significant reduction in the risk of death or disease progression in certain patients with breast cancer taking its PARP inhibitor Lynparza.
UK’s F-star signs new deal with Merck
Cambridge, UK-based F-star has signed a new collaboration with Merck under which the drug giant has the option to develop and commercialise five of its bispecific immuno-oncology antibodies.
Precision ovarian cancer drug shows early promise
An experimental targeted treatment for ovarian cancer has shown promise in early clinical trials shrinking tumours in half of women with the disease.
