Novartis, Amgen Inc and the non-profit organisation Banner Alzheimer’s Institute have stopped two pivotal studies of umibecestat, a candidate Alzheimer’s drug, because a review identified a worsening in some measures of cognitive function among patients. The trial was intended to run until 2025.

Slovakia has been added to the group of European countries whose pharma manufacturing inspections systems are on par with those in the US, enabling the Food and Drug Administration to automatically recognise products produced in the country’s factories.