News

A first-in-class treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been launched in the UK this week, offering patients a new option that, for the first time, addresses a variety of symptoms caused by the condition.

Pfizer has announced plans to wind down its interest in animal health group Zoetis in order to focus on its core biopharmaceuticals business.

US spending on specialty prescription drugs – those used to treat chronic, complex diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis (MS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) – is projected to increase 67% by the end of 2015, say new forecasts.

Pfizer’s bid to expand its oncology portfolio has suffered a setback with the news that the drugs giant has halted a late-stage trial of inotuzumab ozogamicin in patients with an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma due to futility.

Hard on the heels of Quintiles’ successful return to public ownership, US-based contract research organisation (CRO) PRA International is sounding out prospects for its own initial public offering (IPO) of common stock.

Just as Elan Corp announced a range of transactions “designed to decisively transform and advance the company”, long-time suitor Royalty Pharma has popped up again and raised its bid to acquire the Irish drugmaker.

Civil servants will be swapping the corridors of Whitehall for the NHS front line, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced.

After a month of speculation, Actavis has announced it is buying Warner Chilcott in a stock-for-stock agreement worth $8.5 billion.

The Cell Therapy (CT) Catapult, set up at Guy’s Hospital in London as a centre of translational excellence for regenerative medicine in the UK, has now published its database of ongoing preclinical research.

Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan have recently taken steps to introduce drug reimbursement schemes which, if introduced, could completely change the operating environment for both their innovative drug and generic markets, says new research.

The government has established a £260 million fund to help more National Health Service hospitals get up to speed with electronic prescription technologies and cut drug errors.

England’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has launched a new campaign encouraging patients to ask their doctor about clinical-research opportunities.

Novo A/S, the holding company of Denmark’s Novo Nordisk, has acquired Xellia Pharmaceuticals of Norway in a deal valued at $700 million.

The European Medicines Agency’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee has concluded that the benefits of Bayer’s acne drug Diane 35 and its generics outweigh the risks, “provided that several measures are taken to minimise the risk of thromboembolism”.

Lundbeck and Takeda have presented more positive late-stage data  on their recently-filed antidepressant Brintellix.