Pharmafile.com’s top 10 news stories of the week
pharmafile | February 19, 2021 | News story | Medical Communications | COVID-19, COVID-19 vaccine, Vaccine, pharma news, top 10, top news stories
In the last week, a number of COVID-19 new vaccine developments have been made. Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine has proven to be 94% effective in a trial featuring 1.2 million participants, the WHO has approved two versions of the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot for rollout worldwide, and Johnson & Johnson has applied to the EU for marketing authorisation of their one-dose vaccine.
1. Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine proven 94% effective in biggest study yet – Published 15/02/21
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has been proven to be 94% effective, according to the first major study to evaluate the shot’s efficacy.
2. University of Glasgow and Lilly sign £4.6m immunological disease partnership – Published 15/02/21
The University of Glasgow and Eli Lilly and Company have entered into a research collaboration, across four diseases, worth £4.6 million.
3. WHO approves two versions of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine – Published 16/02/21
The WHO has greenlighted two versions of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, granting them authorisation to be rolled out globally through COVAX.
4. FDA approves Novartis’ heart failure drug Entresto – Published on 17/02/21
The FDA has approved Novartis’ Entresto (sacubitril/valsartan) to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalisation for heart failure in adult patients with chronic heart failure.
5. Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca’s breast cancer drug Enhertu approved in UK – Published on 16/02/21
Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca’s Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) has been granted conditional authorisation in the UK as a monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, who have received two or more prior anti-HER2-based regimens.
6. Molecular Templates signs cancer deal with BMS worth up to $1.3bn – Published on 15/02/21
Molecular Templates and Bristol Myers Squibb have entered into a worldwide strategic research collaboration worth up to $1.3 billion, to discover and develop multiple novel therapies designed for specific oncology targets.
7. NICE recommends Bristol Myers Squibb’s skin cancer drug Opdivo for NHS use – Published on 12/02/21
NICE has issued final draft guidance recommending the routine use of Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS)’s Opdivo (nivolumab) as an option after surgery for some people with melanoma.
8. J&J’s one-shot COVID-19 vaccine submitted to the EU – Published on 17/02/21
Johnson & Johnson has applied to the EMA for marketing authorisation of their one-shot COVID-19 vaccine in Europe.
9. Celltrion’s inflammatory disease drug Yuflyma gets EU approval for 13 indications – Published on 16/02/21
The European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorisation for Celltrion’s Yuflyma, an adalimumab biosimilar, across all thirteen intended indications for the treatment of multiple chronic inflammatory diseases.
10. AstraZeneca and MSD’s Lynparza crosses superiority boundary for invasive disease-free survival – Published on 17/02/21
The OlympiA Phase III trial for AstraZeneca and MSD’s cancer drug Lynparza will move to early primary analysis and reporting, following a recommendation from the Independent Data Monitoring Committee (IDMC).
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