News

The UK is the European leader for research in point-of-care diagnostics that could help tackle antimicrobial resistance, according to a new report.

AstraZeneca is shelling out $145 million for access to Eolas Therapeutics’ programme which aims to develop new therapies to tackle nicotine and other addictions. 

The US government is reportedly seeking to hit Novartis with a fine of $3.35 billion for using kickbacks to artificially boost the sales of two of its medicines, leading to overpayment by the country’s health care insurers Medicare and Medicaid.

Patients in the UK with certain forms of lung cancer will be able to access Bristol-Myers Squibb’s immunotherapy Opdivo after the drug was approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for the country’s Early Access to Medicines Scheme.

A diabetes drug co-developed by Boehringer Ingelheim and Vitae has failed to significantly reduce blood sugar in a Phase II trial.

Celegene and Juno have signed a 10-year, $1-billion pact focussing on the development of commercialisation of new immunotherapies to treat cancer and autoimmune disease.

If Greece exits the European Union medicines supply across the region could be significantly impacted from a surge in parallel trade, pharmaceutical industry representatives are reportedly warning officials.

Intercept Pharmaceuticals has filed obeticholic acid on both sides of the Atlantic as a treatment for primary biliary cirrhosis, a rare liver disease that primarily results from autoimmune destruction of the bile ducts.

Roche’s investigational multiple sclerosis therapy ocrelizumab has smashed targets in two Phase III trials putting it on track for regulatory filing in the first quarter of next year.

Experts are calling for wide-spread use across the UK of a simple blood test to distinguish between the presence of viral and bacterial respiratory infections to help reduce prescriptions for antibiotics while saving millions of pounds.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has re-opened a second consultation on its diabetes guidelines following a barrage of criticism from all sides on previous draft proposals.

AbbVie’s Humira could soon become the first approved therapy for a chronic skin condition called hidradenitis suppurativa after European regulatory advisors backed its use in patients failing to respond to systemic treatment.

Novartis has acquired pain treatment specialist Spinifex Pharmaceuticals for a $200 million upfront payment.

Immunocore and Lilly have formed a clinical trials pact to test the potential of combining their immunotherapies to fight skin cancer.

UK scientists have developed a test able to detect bacterial infection from the breath of critically ill patients, and thus accelerate the identification of those at highest risk of developing pneumonia.