Top Ten most popular articles on Pharmafile.com this week
pharmafile | April 13, 2018 | News story | Business Services, Manufacturing and Production, Medical Communications, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | AbbVie, Cancer, Humira, Mylan, Novartis, Shire, Takeda, Teva, acquisition, cystic fibrosis, hepatitis C, pharma, top ten
It’s Friday the 13th, but that doesn’t change a strong showing from the industry this week as it continued to deliver some remarkable news: the pharma M&A train keeps rolling as the year goes on as Novartis announced it is to shell out $8.7 billion to snatch up gene therapy biotech AveXis, while an exciting partnership is promising to transform the hepatitis C market by offering a drug which boasts a 97% cure rate in trials for as little as $300. But the most popular news this week was the feat achieved by Abbvie, as Phase 3 trials of its rheumatoid arthritis drug upadacitinib showed even greater efficacy than its best-selling therapy Humira.
Also, be sure not to miss our feature on the future of oncology treatments, and our interview with Vertex’s Fred van Goor on his work in changing the face of treatment for cystic fibrosis.
Check out the week’s ten most popular articles on Pharmafile.com now!
10. Transforming cystic fibrosis treatment
Fred van Goor, Principle Research Fellow at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, discusses his history of work in cystic fibrosis and how the company’s development of Kalydeco succeeded against all odds.
9. Pfizer shuts down kidney cancer drug trial due to “futility”
Pfizer has revealed that it has shut down a trial of Inlyta after it failed to improve disease-free survival as an adjuvant therapy in the treatment of patients at high risk of recurrent renal cell carcinoma after nephrectomy.
8. Roche suffers Ocrevus knockback by NICE
After Roche received Europe approval at the beginning of this year for Ocrevus, it would have been hoping to consolidate these sales but NICE has moved to block such a smooth path by not recommending the drug for England and Wales.
7. Tecentriq third time lucky after NICE nod in lung cancer
After having been knocked by twice by NICE, Roche has finally received a recommendation for Tecentriq’s second-line use in non-small cell lung cancer.
6. Novartis CEO makes mark with $8.7bn AveXis acquisition
Vas Narasimhan’s first few moves as CEO of Novartis indicate that he is not afraid to take bold risks in order to shape the future of the company and his latest is the $8.7 billion acquisition of gene therapy biotech, AveXis.
5. Mylan looks to hit Teva where it hurts, eyeing slow-release MS treatment
Mylan has taken several steps recently that seem intended to hit sales of its big rivals on their key products, first looking at a Botox equivalent and now it has been revealed that it has signed a deal that could see a slow-release Copaxone competitor enter the market.
4. New hepatitis C combo boasts 97% cure rate for just $300
A partnership of the not-for-profit organisation Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative and Egyptian drug firm Pharco Pharmaceuticals is working to bring a new, effective and affordable combination therapy to patients with hepatitis C.
3. Takeda move for Shire looks increasingly likely
Takeda’s surprise announcement, just last week, that it was weighing up a move for Shire had some analysts sceptical but its CEO has now reiterated the likelihood of the acquisition going ahead.
2. Looking to the future of oncology
The oncology field moves so quickly that it can be hard to keep track of the latest innovations. Ben Hargreaves assesses some of the major movements and looks to the future of treatment.
1. AbbVie’s rheumatoid arthritis drug bests even its own blockbuster Humira at Phase 3
AbbVie’s upadacitinib smashed met its primary and secondary endpoints at Phase 3 in the treatment of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis in patients who have had an inadequate response to methotrexate.
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