The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the first combination pill to treat chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection. Harvoni (ledipasvir and sofosbuvir) is also the first treatment that doesn’t require co-administration with interferon or ribaviron.
In a major expansion of an existing gene-therapy deal, Oxford BioMedica Plc has reached an agreement with Novartis to supply it with greater quantities of lentiviral vector that can be used to gene
A new company which is investigating treatments for conditions ranging from cancer to reperfusion injury has been launched in the UK with £15.5 million in seed capital. The company, Magnus Life Science, is a collaboration with University College London (UCL).
A UK start-up which is developing a candidate molecule for multiple myeloma has received £1.85 million in seed funding from Imperial Innovations Group Plc. Kesios Therapeutics Ltd was set up to commercialise the research of Guido Franzoso of Imperial College London.
Three members of the executive committee of Novartis will be leaving the Swiss company following its decision to sell its vaccines and animal health businesses and put its over-the-counter medicines business into a new joint venture with GlaxoSmithKline Plc.
The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Advanced Therapies (CAT) is recommending that the marketing authorisation for the cartilage implant Maci be suspended because the developer, Genzyme (Sanofi SA), has closed the product’s EU manufacturing site.
Oxford BioTherapeutics Ltd has selected an antibody-drug conjugate for clinical development which targets a B-cell malignancy. The preclinical candidate will be investigated in non-Hodgkin’s B-cell lymphoma, in addition to solid tumours.
Salix Pharmaceuticals Inc and Italy’s Cosmo Pharmaceuticals SpA have ended their plans to merge citing a shift in the political environment toward transactions of the kind being proposed. As a result, Salix will make a $25 million termination payment to Cosmo.
Eli Lilly and Company said it is discontinuing development of tabalumab, an anti-B-cell activating factor monoclonal antibody that was being tested in systemic lupus erythematosus. This follows a finding of insufficient efficacy in two pivotal Phase 3 trials.
The European Medicines Agency has given positive opinions for 15 new medicines including treatments for hepatitis C infection, Cushing’s syndrome and for non-small cell lung and gastric cancers. The decisions were announced on 26 September.