News

MSD’s once-daily, single pill, fixed-combination therapy elbasvir/grazoprevir is causing a stir after an analysis of trial data showed that it was able to cure the vast majority of hepatitis C patients who also had compensated liver cirrhosis, a traditionally difficult-to-treat population.

US-based patients with a particular form of lung cancer could now get access to the first targeted therapy for their condition, after the country’s Food and Drug Administration issued accelerated clearance for AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso (formerly AZD9291).

In an unusual move, the British Medical Association has unveiled three dates in December for planned industrial action by junior doctors in England ahead of the outcome of its current ballot, which closes next week.

Roche is restructuring its manufacturing network for small molecules to focus on specialised medicines produced in lower volumes.

Mental health services in England are under “a huge amount of strain” as large-scale changes have had a negative impact on patient care, says a briefing paper by health think-tank The King’s Fund.

Concerns over the ability of the National Heath Service to handle the spike in demand over the winter period are growing after several key targets for A&E admissions, ambulance response times and cancer referrals were missed last month.

Actelion claimed the prestigious title of marketing company of the year at the PharmaTimes Marketer & Communications Team of the Year awards last night.

The US Food and Drug Administration has expanded the scope of Harvoni allowing its use in patients with genotype 4, 5 and 6 chronic hepatitis C virus infection and in those co-infected with HIV.

GP leaders say they are seriously concerned about poor uptake of this year’s flu vaccine, which they warn is risking the health of thousands of people.

Despite initiatives to reduce the number of prescriptions for antibiotics in England a rise is being recorded in the country’s most deprived areas.

NHS England and Health Education England have rolled out a new national training programme to help nurture and keep the most inventive and innovative clinicians on UK shores.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published its first set of guidelines for the treatment of menopause, stressing that women should no longer have to suffer in silence.

There is no evidence to support a causal link between human papillomavirus vaccines and the development of two conditions – complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), European regulators have confirmed.

NHS England has published interim guidance allowing the use of adalimumab (AbbVie’s Humira) to treat children with severe refractory uveitis, an inflammation of the middle layer of the eye.

Pharmaceutical companies are finding it difficult to recruit for high skilled roles in the UK because of a shallow pool of good quality candidates, raising concerns that the country’s standing in global research and development is in danger of being weakened.