News

Four NHS Foundation Trusts based in the North of England are to have their books scrutinised by health regulator Monitor after getting into financial difficulties.

NHS England and local councils have announced the first demonstrator sites in the country that will merge health and social care funding for vulnerable individuals and allow them to decide on how it is used.

The Scottish Medicines Consortium has endorsed the use of seven new drugs on the National Health Service, including two biosimilars.

The US Food and Drug Administration has issued a green light for Astellas’ application to market Cresemba (isavuconazonium sulfate) for two rare but life-threatening fungal infections, triggering a 30 million Swiss Francs milestone payment to development partner Basilea.

Novartis white blood cell-stimulater Zarxio (filgrastim-sndz) has become the first biosimilar to be allowed entry to the US market, paving the way for a stream of cheaper alternatives that may increase access to traditionally expensive biologic therapies.

Merck & Co is said to be planning a job cull involving around 120 employees at recently-acquired Cubist Pharmaceuticals.

World health officials have announced that a Phase III trial assessing Health Canada, NewLink and Merck & Co’s experimental Ebola vaccine will kick off March 7 in Guinea.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is endorsing the use of Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer’s clotbuster Eliquis (apixaban) on the National Health Service in England and Wales.

The first UK clinical trial of a combined stem cell and gene therapy for lung cancer will go ahead with National Health Service patients later this year, the Medical Research Council has confirmed.

AbbVie is adding substantial ballast to its pipeline through a deal to buy Pharmacyclics for a whopping $21 billion.

Eisai and Merck & Co have signed a deal to put various combinations of their cancer drugs through clinical testing.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is investing $52 million in German biotech CureVac in what is reportedly its largest ever equity investment.

Dublin, Ireland-based speciality biopharma Mallinckrodt is extending its hospital-based offering with a $2.3-billion purchase of US privately-held critical care group Ikaria.

The disclosure of payments by pharmaceutical companies to doctors is part of a wider movement to encourage doctors to disclose who pays them, and for what. If you log on to www.whopaysthisdoctor.org you may find out, although to date only a few doctors have jumped at this brave pledge of transparency before being pushed.

Baxter has snapped up private German biotech SuppreMol and its operations in Munich for 200 million euros.