The DFN Charitable Foundation is donating £1 million to charity Myeloma UK to help support the development of advanced genomic and genetic research tools to better characterise, monitor and treat the disease.
News
Research questions blanket use of beta blockers for heart attack
New research from the University of Leeds New is challenging the blanket approach in the UK of prescribing beta blockers for all heart attack patients, after finding no short term survival benefit for those who don’t have heart failure.
US OKs first-line use of Novartis’ Zykadia in lung cancer
US regulators have green-lighted the use of Novartis Zykadia as a first-line treatment option for some patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
Priority review for BMS’ Opdivo in liver cancer
US regulators will undertake a speedy review of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s application to expand use of its immunotherapy Opdivo to include to include certain patients with liver cancer.
Pfizer’s Epogen/Procrit biosimilar wins US backing
Pfizer’s biosimilar of Amgen’s epoetin alfa (Epogen/Procrit) has won backing in the US for approval across all proposed indications.
UK researchers find evidence of ‘nocebo’ effect for statins
Patients report more side effects when they know they are taking a statin than when don’t, according to findings of a recent study led by researchers at Imperial College London, funded by Pfizer, and published in The Lancet.
Merck buys experimental tau antibody from Teijin
Merck & Co has bought itself an exclusive global licence from Teijin Pharma to develop, manufacture and commercialise an investigational preclinical antibody candidate targeting a protein called tau.
EU regulators widen approval for Zebinix
The European Medicines Agency has cleared use of Bial and Eisai’s sodium channel blocker Zebinix for use as a once-daily monotherapy to treat adults with newly-diagnosed partial-onset epilepsy, widening its treatment scope in the region.
UK biotech takes pole position in Europe
The UK has the strongest and most robust clinical pipeline in Europe, with the number of drug products in development higher in the UK than anywhere else in the region, according to a new report by the BioIndustry Association.
Ulster Uni invests £2m in new health technology hub
Ulster University is streaming £2 million into a new health technology hub which aims to support the rapid research and development of pioneering healthcare tech.
GW Pharma poised to file Epidiolex in the US
GW Pharmaceuticals is on the brink of filing its cannabis-derived therapy Epidiolex in the US as another late-stage study highlights the drug’s efficacy in treating Dravet Syndrome, a rare and severe type of epilepsy.
US approves Keytruda for MSI-H tumours
The US Food and Drug Administration has cleared use of Merck & Co’s immunotherapy Keytruda to treat cancer patients identified as having a biomarker called microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR).
MSD accused of breaching UK competition law
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally found that a discount scheme operated by MSD for its biologic Remicade may have restricted competition from cheaper biosimilar versions of the drug entering the market.
Full green light for Biogen’s MS drug Fampyra
Biogen’s Fampyra has been granted a standard approval by European regulators on the back of late-stage data supporting its use to improve walking in patients with multiple sclerosis.
NICE nod for psoriatic arthritis drugs Cimzia and Cosentyx
Cost regulators for the NHS in England and Wales are recommending UCB’s Cimzia and Novartis’ Cosentyx as treatment options for adults with active psoriatic arthritis.
