News

Novartis has appointed Page Bouchard, an industry veteran, to the role of chief scientific officer at AveXis Inc, a subsidiary at the center of a controversy over data manipulation in relation to the recently approved gene therapy Zolgensma for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Dr Bouchard has been with Novartis for 10 years and will take over the roles of CSO and head of research and development at AveXis that were previously held by Brian Kaspar and Allan Kaspar.

Synpromics Ltd, located near Edinburgh, UK, has been acquired by Asklepios BioPharmaceutical Inc (AskBio Inc) of the US in order to create a new gene therapy company with expertise in adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector therapies. Synpromics has expertise in gene control by way of a synthetic promotor technology that enables genes to be switched on and off to control protein production.

Evotec SE set the stage for a further expansion of its drug discovery and development business in the first half year while increasing revenue from its traditional service business. Group revenue was up by 16% to €207.1 million while operating profit rose by 11% to €24 million. The strong first half performance triggered an upgrade in the company’s guidance for 2019.

A trial of four experimental treatments for Ebola virus infection has been stopped early because two of the drugs were more effective in preventing deaths, than the others. The multi-drug trial is being carried out in the Democratic Republic of Congo where an outbreak of Ebola disease has been declared a public health emergency.

Syncona Ltd made two profitable asset sales during its first financial quarter ended 30 June enabling it to invest in a start-up cell therapy company and provide follow-on financing for its clinical-stage gene therapy company Autolus Therapeutics Plc which is listed on the US Nasdaq market.

Novartis has responded to a statement from the US Food and Drug Administration on 6 August in which the regulator raised the issue of manipulation of product testing data in the production process for Zolgensma, the recently approved gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy.

Novo Nordisk A/S has raised its financial guidance for 2019 based on recent sales figures for its non-insulin diabetes products Victoza and Ozempic and the obesity product Saxenda. At the same time, it cautioned that competition has intensified for its insulin and haemophilia products.

Bayer AG is to take full ownership of BlueRock Therapeutics LP, a regenerative medicines company that is developing engineered cell therapies in the fields of neurology, cardiology and immunology. Bayer, together with Versant Ventures, launched BlueRock in 2016 at a time of heightened interest in cell based therapies.

GlaxoSmithKline Plc has shifted three candidate vaccines targeting filoviruses to the US non-profit organisation, the Sabin Vaccine Institute, as it restructurings its portfolio to put a bigger emphasis on oncology, HIV and respiratory diseases. The products are prophylactic vaccines to prevent infection from the Ebola Zaire, Ebola Sudan and Marburg viruses. They entered GSK’s portfolio when the UK company acquired Okairos AG in 2013.

MorphoSys AG is planning a regulatory filing in Europe for its first wholly-owned antibody therapeutic for cancer, tafasitamab, in addition to completing a rolling submission for the same drug with the US Food and Drug Admission. The plans for a marketing authorisation application to the European Medicines Agency were disclosed with the release of the company’s second quarter results and represent an acceleration of the commercialisation plans for tafasitamab, a treatment for refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma.