News

Urgent care line NHS 111 has been rocked by news that a key provider, NHS Direct, has decided to pull out of all of its remaining contracts* to provide the service.

The recent US Supreme Court decision on pay-for-delay payments puts the Federal Trade Commission in a much stronger position to go after such deals, a Senate panel has heard.

Consumer and campaign groups have condemned as too little, too late new commitments made by industry in Europe and the US to widen access to clinical-trial data.

The market for disease-modifying multiple sclerosis therapies will expand at an annual rate of 10% to 2018, peaking at nearly $21 billion that year, say new forecasts.

Survival for testicular cancer has risen by almost 30% in the last 40 years, with nearly all men now beating the disease, according to figures published by Cancer Research UK.

Novartis’ new chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder therapies Ultibro Breezhaler and Xoterna Breezhaler are a massive step closer to winning European approval after an endorsement by the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use.

Perrigo is buying Elan Corp for $8.60 billion in a deal that will give the US healthcare firm a base in tax-friendly Ireland.

UK researchers have discovered a new molecule that kills off cancer cells by starving them of oxygen, offering a new target for treating the disease.

Shire shares have soared on the back of a strong set of second-quarter figures which saw net income up 8.5% to $258.1 million, while revenues rose 7% to $1.23 billion, ahead of analyst estimates.

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Forest Laboratories and Pierre Fabre’s Fetzima for major depressive disorder.

Switzerland’s Vifor Pharma is celebrating after getting the thumbs-up from US regulators for Injectafer for the treatment of iron deficiency anaemia.

Pfizer has suffered a major setback after advisors to the European Medicines Agency again rejected Xeljanz for rheumatoid arthritis.

The European Commission has opened an “in-depth” inquiry into a scheme offering assistance to German pharmaceutical companies which are in financial difficulties.

The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has finalised a review of GLP-1-based diabetes therapies and concluded that “presently available data do not confirm recent concerns over an increased risk of pancreatic adverse events with these medicines”.

CRO Solutions, a US-based company that provides business-development solutions to small to medium-sized contract research organisations, has launched a wholly owned subsidiary as a ‘one-stop’ platform for these niche CROs’ early-phase services.