GlaxoSmithKline has turned in a promising start to the year with a stronger than expected sales and profit performance from its core business during the first quarter.
News
FDA rejects antipyschotic drug/device combo
US regulators have rejected Digital Medicine – a drug/device system in which Otsuka’s antipyschotic Abilify is embedded with Proteus’ ingestible sensor – for the treatment of psychiatric disorders, asking for more information.
Lilly’s Taltz cleared in the EU for plaque psoriasis
The European Commission has approved Eli Lilly’s biologic Taltz as a new treatment for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy.
NICE backs restricted use of heart drug Entresto
Around 100,000 people in England and Wales could now benefit from treatment with Novartis’ revolutionary heart drug Entresto, after cost regulators issued a final green light for its use on the National Health Service.
Novartis’ Ilaris awarded three breakthrough badges in the US
Novartis’ Ilaris has picked up three breakthrough designations in the US for potential indications spanning a group of auto inflammatory disorders called Periodic Fever Syndromes or Hereditary Periodic Fevers.
AZ sells US rights to gout drug for $265m
AstraZeneca has signed over US rights to recently-approved gout therapy Zurampic to Ironwood Pharmaceuticals for a total of $265 million, to help secure a successful launch for drug in the country.
Novartis to sell 33 percent stake in Roche?
Novartis is reportedly considering selling off its stake in Roche worth nearly $14 billion, though sources say that no deal is yet imminent.
US expands use of AbbVie’s hep C therapy Viekira Pak
US regulators have expanded the approved indications for AbbVie’s hepatitis C therapy Viekira Pak, offering a potential cure to a difficult-to-treat sub-population of patients.
NHS doctors stage first ever all-out strike
For the first time in the history of the National Health Service, thousands of junior doctors are staging an all-out strike in England in protest against the imposition of a new working contract by the government.
BMS gets US breakthrough status for head & neck cancer
US regulators have awarded Bristol-Myers Squibb’s immunotherapy Opdivo a breakthrough designation for the potential indication of recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN).
US approval for AZ’ new COPD inhaler
US patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have been given a new option for maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction with the approval of AstraZeneca’s Bevespi Aerosphere, the first product approved that employs the firm’s novel co-suspension technology.
Official launch for £2m mathematical modelling in healthcare centre
A pioneering new research centre will be officially launched at Exeter University this week with the aim of using predictive mathematical models to revolutionise the diagnosis and prognosis of a range of common chronic health conditions.
Study backs safety of smoking-cessations drugs
A large international study has concluded that two smoking-cessation drugs sold by Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline do not significantly increase the risk of serious neuropsychiatric adverse events, raising the possibility that their black-box removing could be removed.
Hunt warns doctors’ strike seriously risks patient safety
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has warned that the planned all-out strike by junior doctors this week will seriously risk the safety of many patients depending on the NHS.
AZ and partners to sequence two million genomes
AstraZeneca has unveiled plans to sequence up to two million genomes in a bid to identify genetic mutations that drive disease.
