Elan Corporation Plc more than trebled its operating income in the 2011 first quarter following settlement of a patent suit. Revenue however was only slightly ahead as brisk Tysabri sales were nearly offset by the divestment of three legacy products.
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Rituxan (rituximab), in combination with glucocorticoids, to treat patients with Wegener’s granulomatosis and microscopic polyangiitis, two rare disorders that cause blood vessel inflammation.
NicOx SA has decided to withdraw its European marketing authorisation application for naproxcinod, a candidate drug for osteoarthritis, following feedback from the CHMP that more data would be required in order to get a positive opinion.
Bavarian Nordic A/S announced that it has prevailed in a two-year-old arbitration case involving a German research institution regarding rights to the technology underpinning its vaccine portfolio.
Novartis generated $3.1 billion in net sales from recently launched products in the 2011 first quarter, a period that was otherwise marked by a flat operating income and a decline in the company’s operating margin.
Privately-held Circassia Ltd of the UK has raised £60 million to be paid over two years from Imperial Innovations Group Plc and other investors in order to finance the development of its T-cell vaccines to treat a range of allergies.
Novartis has decided to withdraw its marketing authorisation application for Joicela (lumiracoxib) from the European Medicines Agency, the EMA announced. Joicela was intended to be used for symptomatic relief of osteoarthritis.
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Actemra (tocilizumab), given alone or in combination with methotrexate, for the treatment of active systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis in children aged two or over. Roche is the developer
Transgene SA of France has entered into a collaboration with two other companies to evaluate a new therapeutic vaccine strategy against the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The partners are ChronTechPharma AB and Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc.
In another twist to the long-running Avastin saga, the European Medicines Agency has reversed an earlier opinion and its now recommending that Avastin (bevacizumab), plus capecitabine, be approved for first-line metastatic breast cancer.