The UK government has enlisted the services of Illumina Inc and a number of public bodies to launch a project aimed at sequencing the genomes of up to 100,000 patients with cancer or a rare disease in order to discover new ways of treating the disorders.
A new therapeutic vaccine intended to alter the course of Parkinson’s disease has passed its first clinical hurdle following a Phase 1 study that showed the agent is safe and well-tolerated in patients. The vaccine has been developed by Affiris AG of Austria.
Sanofi SA reported group sales of €8,075 million for the second quarter, an increase of 0.9% on a reported basis. Progress in the quarter was driven by sales of diabetes medicines and its Genzyme subsidiary which has a portfolio of orphan drugs as well as Aubagio for multiple sclerosis.
AstraZeneca Plc has upgraded its financial guidance for 2014 following an increase in revenue in the second quarter and the successful launch of a new medicine for Type 2 diabetes in the US. Sales in China also rose by 23% on a constant currency basis.
UCB SA, which is focused on treating disorders of the central nervous and immune systems, reported a 6% increase in group revenue for the first half of 2014 and a 54% increase in recurring profit before interest and tax (EBIT).
AstraZeneca Plc has announced plans to expand its respiratory franchise by in-licensing rights to a group of marketed and investigational products for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from Almirall SA of Spain.
Circassia Pharmaceuticals Plc reported an operating loss of £19.5 million for the first six months of the year as spending nearly doubled on the development of four clinical-stage immunotherapies for allergy, the most advanced of which is in Phase 3.
MorphoSys AG reported a loss for the second quarter due largely to an unfavourable comparison with the previous period when earnings were inflated by a licensing deal with GlaxoSmithKline Plc. However, the company expects its loss for the year as a whole to be at the lowest end of previous guidance.
In separate decisions, regulatory authorities in the US and Europe have paved the way for the introduction of two new medicines for different blood cancers – substantially increasing the treatment options for patients with a number of rare cancers.
The Roche group posted a sales gain of 5% to CHF 22,974 million (€18,905 million) in the first half, driven by a 30% rise in US revenue from its breast cancer medicines. The gains were in constant currencies; measured in Swiss francs there was a decline of 1%.