News

With US regulatory approval of a partnered antibody product now in hand, MorphoSys AG has started to move quickly to consolidate its position as an independent drug developer.

Imbruvica (ibrutinib), a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor developed by Pharmacyclics LLC, has received a further approval in the US – this time to treat adult patients with chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD).

Denmark’s Zealand Pharma A/S started its previously announced initial public share offering on Nasdaq in the US on 1 August with the goal of raising $86 million for the clinical development of two of its peptide therapeutics.

Galapagos NV reported cash and cash equivalents of €1.3 billion on 30 June in a first-half year report that also highlighted an ambitious research and development programme for small molecules targeting inflammatory indications and cystic fibrosis.

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Idhifa (enasidenib), a new targeted therapy from Celgene Corp for treating patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Also approved is a diagnostic that can detect a specific genetic mutation.

Sanofi SA continued to enjoy strong sales from vaccines and its Genzyme specialty pharma division in the second quarter, which more than offset declining revenue from its cardiovascular and diabetes businesses.

Evotec AG is to acquire another drug service company – its second takeover in less than a year – with the agreed purchase of Aptuit LLC for $300 million. Aptuit provides drug discovery and development services to companies in the US, Europe and India.

The Roche group is forecasting that sales this year will grow by a mid-single digit percentage following a better than expected performance of three recently launched pharmaceuticals and continued growth of its diagnostics business.

In announcing its second quarter results on 27 July, AstraZeneca Plc disclosed that the combination of Imfinzi and tremelimumab did not meet the endpoint of improving progression-free survival. The trial will continue until data is also available on overall survival.

GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s new chief executive plans to slim down the company’s pipeline, reduce costs and focus on respiratory medicines and treatments for HIV and infectious disease as part of a sweeping review of the company’s priorities.