News

Explaining cancer risk

Country
Netherlands

Research carried out in the Netherlands shows that a person’s risk of getting cancer cannot be explained by the number of errors found in DNA. Scientists at the University Medical Center Utrecht and the Hubrecht Institute have come to this conclusion after mapping the genetic profile of organoids.

New drug for liver disease

Country
United Kingdom

A new medicine that is expected to protect against a rare liver disease known as primary biliary cholangitis, has been recommended for approval in the European Union following a Phase 3 study in which the treatment showed a clear benefit over placebo.

Helsinn launches investment fund

Country
Switzerland

The Helsinn Group has joined the growing number of pharmaceutical companies that have decided to support early stage life science with a dedicated investment fund – the Helsinn Investment Fund SA.

Crescendo to collaborate with Takeda

Country
United Kingdom

UK-based Crescendo Biologics Ltd has secured its first commercial deal since its founding in 2007 with the signing of a collaboration and license option agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. The deal concerns several preclinical drug candidates that have been derived from the VH antibody domains of transgenic mice.

Nivolumab has quality of life benefits

Country
Denmark

Patients with head and neck cancer who were treated with nivolumab experienced a better quality of life than those treated with chemotherapy, according to an outcomes study released on 9 October at the European Society for Medical Oncology congress in Copenhagen.

Lirilumab said safe in combination

Country
France

France-based Innate Pharma SA said data from a Phase 1 study of its antibody lirilumab administered with nivolumab to patients with refractory solid tumours, showed a similar safety profile to that of nivolumab alone. The data were presented on 9 October at ESMO.

Study shows how to limit hospital referrals

Country
Belgium

A study by clinicians at the Universities of Leuven and Ghent in Belgium, together with the University of Oxford, has shown that better use of a point-of-care diagnostic can help general practitioners determine which children need hospitalisation because of a serious disease and which can remain at home.

Helping the immune system fight fungus

Country
Austria

Researchers at Vienna’s Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) and the Max F Perutz Laboratories (MFPL) have discovered a new mechanism for unleashing the immune system to kill fungal pathogens. Their research was published in the journal Nature Medicine.

Second BARDA contract for Sanofi

Country
France

Sanofi SA has received a second multi-million dollar contract from the US government’s biomedical advanced research and development authority (BARDA) for research into new medicinal products  – this time for a product to treat acute radiation syndrome in the event of a public health emergency.