Following weeks of speculation Pfizer has stepped forward with a $14-billion bid for Medivation, beating Sanofi and other suitors to the finish line in a move designed to boost its oncology portfolio.
News
EU nod for Teva’s asthma biologic
The European Commission has issued a green light for Teva’s Cinqaero in the 28 countries of the European Union in addition to Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland.
Pfizer’s abuse-deterrent opioid bags US nod
Pfizer’s Troxyca ER has been approved in the US for the management of pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment and for which alternative treatment options are inadequate.
EU to review Portola’s blood-thinner antidote
The group is seeking conditional approval for the drug’s use when reversal of anticoagulation is needed due to life-threatening or uncontrolled bleeding and for patients requiring urgent or emergency surgery.
NHS to spend £365m on perinatal mental health
NHS England has revealed that £365 million will be streamed into specialist perinatal mental health services over the next five years to increase access to care and treatment.
NICE rejects Bayer’s Nexavar for liver cancer
Bayer’s Nexavar is the latest medicine currently available through the Cancer Drugs Fund that has failed to meet cost-effectiveness standards set by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
Janssen seeks to expand use of multiple myeloma drug
Janssen Biotech is seeking to expand the scope of Darzalex as a second-line combination treatment for multiple myeloma.
Antibiotics app launched in Scotland
A “groundbreaking” new app designed to help healthcare staff tackle antibiotic resistance has been launched in Scotland.
Hospital pneumonia deaths drop 14 percent
Hospital deaths from the most common form of pneumonia dropped 14 percent between 2009 and 2015, according to new research published online in Thorax, the journal of the British Thoracic Society (BTS)
Campaigners slam government’s obesity strategy
The government has let down future generations with a watered-down strategy that will fail to adequately tackle the rising swell of obesity in the country, campaigners say.
Merck joins the pack circling Medivation
Merck & Co is reportedly the latest pharma to consider snapping up US cancer biotech Medivation.
Portola’s blood thinner antidote turned away by FDA
Portola has been dealt a blow after its anticoagulation reversal drug AndexXa was rejected by the US Food and Drug Administration.
New project explores use of animals in drug safety testing
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry and the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement, and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) have announced a new collaboration to explore whether the safety testing of medicines can be refined.
NICE shoots down two CDF drugs
Patients with breast cancer and mantle cell lymphoma living in England and Wales have been dealt a blow after cost regulators rejected two drugs currently available through the Cancer Drugs Fund for routine NHS use.
Cataract operations being rationed, warns RNIB
The Royal National Institute for the Blind claims that its research continues to show cataract operations are being restricted due to financial pressures on the NHS.
