News

ViiV Healthcare has completed its acquisition of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s portfolio of HIV research and development assets, having secured antitrust clearance from authorities in the US. 

Patients with advanced forms of skin cancer should have the option of treatment with Bristol-Myers Squibb’s immunotherapy Opdivo on the NHS in England and Wales after cost regulators issued final guidance endorsing the drug’s use in this setting.

Merck & Co says that a late-stage trial investigating the efficacy of a once-daily formulation of its HIV therapy Isentress has hit its primary target.

European patients with the haemophilia A could soon get access to a new treatment option after regulators approved Bayer’s Kovaltry for all age groups.

The US Food and Drug Administration has agreed to review Sanofi’s investigational fixed-ratio combination of its basal insulin glargine (Lantus) and GLP-1 receptor agonist lixisenatide (Lyxumia) for the treatment of adults with type II diabetes.

Amgen and UCB’s experimental osteoporosis drug romosozumab has taken a step towards regulatory filing after hitting primary targets in a late-stage trial, reducing the number of new fractures in post-menopausal women compared to a placebo.

AstraZeneca has bagged a green light for its gout therapy Zurampic in Europe, while regulators also approved a new indication for the firm’s bloodthinner Brilique.

The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a green-light for UCB’s novel epilepsy drug Briviact, offering patients aged 16 years and over a new therapeutic option for treating partial-onset seizures.

Novartis’ precision medicine for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) has been granted breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA.

Healthcare think tank the King’s Fund has warned that NHS trusts in England could have a deficit of £2.3 billion by the end of the year.

Inovio’s Zika virus vaccine candidate has demonstrated “robust and durable immune responses” in mice, raising hopes for a way to tackle the rapid spread of the disease.

NICE has published draft guidance for Alexion’s rare disease drug Kanuma (sebelipase alfa), rejecting it in one of its indications and requesting more evidence in another.

Experts have cautioned that the hype surrounding T-cell cancer therapies could be too optimistic and overlooks the cost and safety concerns surrounding the treatment.

Zafgen’s controversial obesity drug beloranib has been shown to reduce body weight in type 2 diabetic patients in a Phase 2b trial.

Roche and AstraZeneca have received breakthrough therapy designations from the US FDA for treatments in multiple sclerosis (MS) and bladder cancer, respectively.