Company News

Network pharmacology is an approach to drug discovery and development that is gaining increasing attention from the medical community.

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Opsumit (macitentan), a new drug for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. The developer is Switzerland-based Actelion Ltd.

The German reimbursement authority, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA), has given a positive opinion to an ophthalmic product developed by ThromboGenics NV of Belgium for the treatment of vitreomacular traction, a condition that affects many older people.

At a time when investors are shying away from technology platform companies, one UK biotech with a platform focus continues to enjoy the support of several large funders. Circassia Ltd recently reported positive data from Phase 2 studies of its immunotherapy technology in patients with grass and house dust mite allergies. A third product against cat allergy is now in Phase 3.

The Roche group achieved sales of CHF 34.9 billion (€28.3 billion) in the first nine months of this year, up by 6% from the year-earlier period at constant exchange rates. The rise was fuelled by demand for the breast-cancer treatments Herceptin, Kadcyla and Perjeta.

Symphogen A/S of Denmark has entered into an alliance with an antibody technology provider in the US to strengthen its therapeutic antibody business which is based on developing antibody mixtures for applications in cancer.

PolyTherics Ltd has become the latest company to announce a collaboration in the antibody-drug conjugate field – a technology that is attracting growing numbers of companies that are developing treatments for cancer.

Immatics Biotechnologies GmbH of Germany has raised €34 million from its existing investors in a Series D financing round, enabling it to conclude development of a therapeutic cancer vaccine intended as a first-line treatment for patients with renal cell carcinoma in combination with the current standard of care, Sutent (sunitinib).

AstraZeneca Plc’s biologics arm, MedImmune, has enlarged its presence in the field of antibody-drug conjugates with the acquisition of Spirogen Ltd, a London-based ADC company for up to $440 million, providing certain milestone targets are met.

The Roche group has announced plans to invest CHF 800 million (€568 million) to increase production capacity for its biologic medicines over the next five years including meeting demand for Kadcyla, an antibody-drug conjugate for breast cancer.