2014 was a good year for new orphan drugs in Europe, with a record number put forward for approval by the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, as the overall total inched up from last year.
News
Biogen snaps up UK’s Convergence for $675 million
Biogen Idec has snapped up UK-based Convergence Pharmaceteuticals in a deal worth up to $675 million, buying into the latter’s expertise in chronic pain research to boost growth of its own pain fortfolio.
NHS plan to speed up cancer diagnoses
NHS England has launched a new programme to test innovative ways of diagnosing cancer more quickly at over 60 sites across the country.
Shire to buy NPS in $5.2 billion deal
After months of rumours, Shire is buying fellow rare disease specialist NPS Pharmaceuticals in a transaction worth $5.2 billion.
MPs slam ‘huge’ variations in CCG funding
A committee of MPs says it has found “huge” variations in funding for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), ranging from £137 per person below their fair share of available funding in Corby to £361 per person above their fair share in West London.
Circle to quit running first private NHS hospital
Healthcare group Circle has entered into discussions to pull out of its contract to run Hinchingbrooke, the first NHS hospital to be run by a private firm.
FDA approves Daiichi Sankyo bloodthinner Savaysa
The US Food and Drug Administration has given the green light to Daiichi Sankyo’s anti-clotting drug edoxaban, to be marketed as Savaysa.
B-MS’ nivolumab picks up UK promising med status
Bristol-Myers Squibb’s nivolumab has become the first PD-1 compound to receive Promising Innovative Medicine status from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), for the treatment of advanced skin cancer.
Cancer Drugs Fund de-listings: Novartis slams process
As details dribble out about which treatments are going to be cut from the Cancer Drugs Fund, Novartis, which expects to see Afinitor chopped, has added its voice to criticism of the de-listing process.
GW’s Sativex fails in PhIII cancer pain study
GW Pharmaceuticals saw its stock drop 5% this morning in a knee-jerk reaction to news of disappointing cancer pain data for its cannabis drug Sativex, but was up again nearly 13% higher later in the day as investors mulled over more positive developments elsewhere in the pipeline.
Historic vote sees FDA panel back USA’s first biosimilar
The USA has moved closer to getting its first biosimilar after a Food and Drug Administration panel unanimously backed Novartis unit Sandoz’ version of Amgen’s Neupogen.
Impax Parkinson’s drug finally breaks into US market
US regulators have now issued a green light for Impax Laboratories’ Parkinson’s disease drug Rytary more than two years after rejecting it on manufacturing issues.
Major breakthrough as anti-resistant antibiotic reaped from soil
The first new antibiotic in more than a quarter of a century has been pulled from a batch of soil by US researchers, and, crucially, it seems to side-step the problem of antimicrobial resistance.
Pfizer boosted by no FDA panel for palbociclib
Pfizer has been boosted by the news that regulators in the USA have no plans to call a panel meeting to discuss its investigational breast cancer drug palbociclib.
Pharma and docs up in arms over Cancer Drugs Fund cuts
The list of drugs to be cut from the Cancer Drugs Fund has yet to be confirmed but drugmakers and doctors have already gone public with their criticisms.
