News

Janssen offers NHS to pay for Olysio failures

Patients with hepatitis C will now be able to access Janssen’s Olysio (simeprevir) on the National Health Service in England on the back of a novel scheme that sees the drugmaker pick up the tab if its medicine fails to work. 

AZ gets boost from Brilinta data

AstraZeneca is celebrating after top-line results from a closely-watched trial of its potential blockbuster Brilinta demonstrated that the bloodthinner demonstrated statistically significant reductions in major cardiovascular thrombotic events in patients with a history of heart attack.

Can failed Roche drug be first personalised heart med?

Scientists in Canada are claiming a world first, saying that dalcetrapib, a cholesterol drug scrapped by Roche nearly three years ago, could in fact pave the way for a new era of personalised drugs for cardiovascular disease.

FDA approves first-of-a-kind obesity device

US regulators have issued a green light for a first-of-its-kind weight loss treatment device that targets the nerve pathway between the brain and the stomach that controls feelings of hunger and fullness.  

Gilead denied Hep C drug patent in India

Pressure group Médecins Sans Frontières is applauding a decision by India’s Patent Controller to reject a key patent application for Gilead’s hepatitis C blockbuster Sovaldi (sofosbuvir), potentially opening the floodgates to a stream of cheaper copycat drugs in the country.

GSK’s Incruse Ellipta gets OK for NHS Wales

GlaxoSmithKline’s chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder bronchodilator Incruse Ellipta 55mcg (umeclidinium) has been recommended for National Health Service use by the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group.

Newron puts non-oral Parkinson’s therapy into Phase II

With approval in Europe due shortly for Xadago, Newron Pharmaceuticals has begun mid-stage trials of another Parkinson’s therapy, which the Italian firm hopes could halt or even reverse disease progression.

Top therapy investment areas for 2015

Oncology, cardiovascular, autoimmune/anti-inflammatories and infectious diseases will be the top therapeutic areas for investment in 2015, says new research.

BI and Yale Uni link arms for immunotherapy research

Boehringer Ingelheim is delving deeper into the hot field of immunotherapy in a research deal with Yale University to discover novel therapeutic targets that harness the immune system to fight disease.