News

Cost regulators for the NHS in England and Wales are asking for more information on Santen’s dry eye treatment Ikervis because the evidence provided is too uncertain.

Valeant and Progenics have filed an application in the US to market an oral form of Relistor for opioid-induced constipation in adult patients with chronic non-cancer pain.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology has designed a new conceptual framework to help doctors and patients better assess the value of new cancer treatment options based on clinical benefit, side effects, and cost.

Google has unveiled a new health-tracking wristband which it plans to position as a medical device for use by patients or clinical researchers, thus side-stepping the smartwatch-based consumer market.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has updated and redesigned its guideline to help GPs better recognise the signs and symptoms of 37 different cancers, in the hope of accelerating diagnoses and saving lives.

Pfizer has started a Phase III trial assessing orphan drug rivipansel as a treatment for sickle cell disease patients hospitalised with vaso-occlusive crisis, a common and very painful complication of the condition.

Teva has raised its stake in Mylan to 4.61%, which will allow it to take its acquisition bid to court “should it become necessary”.

Allied-Bristol Life Sciences has snapped up intellectual property from Harvard University linked to blue evergreen hydrangea, which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries.

England will be the first country in the world to offer all newborn babies a meningitis B vaccine as part of its national immunisation programme.

US regulators have green-lighted the use of The Medicines Company’s bloodthinner Kengreal in patients undergoing a certain heart procedure, just over a year after its rejection and request for further analysis and information.

US regulators have expanded the scope of Eisai’s first-in-class epilepsy drug Fycompa to include the treatment of patients with a severe form of epileptic seizures.

GlaxoSmithKline will sell its meningitis vaccines Nimenrix and Mencevax to Pfizer to satisfy regulatory conditions for its asset-swap deal with Novartis.

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt has promised GPs a new deal to alleviate pressure on over-stretched services, through increased investment, reduction in bureaucracy, and the drafting in of more healthcare professionals to areas in most need.

Portola Pharmaceuticals’ andexanet alfa significantly reversed the blood-thinning effects of a Factor Xa inhibitor in a late-stage trial, which hit all of primary and secondary targets.

Shares in Tekmira have taken a downturn after it emerged that its experimental Ebola vaccine was unlikely to hit efficacy goals in a mid-stage trial.