
Top ten stories in the pharmaceutical industry this week
pharmafile | August 15, 2016 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Medical Communications, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | biggest stories, pharma, pharmafile, stories of the week, top 10
It’s Monday and we’re just getting back to it after a busy week in pharma. Unfortunately, it was mostly bad news as trials failed, criminal investigations ensued and acrimonious lawsuits began. Here’s a recap of the top stories in pharma last week:
10. SMC reverses decision on Opdivo in advanced skin cancer
The Scottish Medicines Consortium had a change of heart on Opdivo for patients with advanced skin cancer, bringing its stance in line with southern neighbours, NICE, in this indication.
9. MSD files Lantus biosimilar with FDA
Biosimilar are emerging left, right and centre and the latest filing saw MSD submit their application for Sanofi’s Lantus (insulin glargine) to treat type-1 and type-2 diabetes
8 Old CDF not recommended in initial NICE guidance due to a lack of evidence
Takeda wasn’t happy with NICE’s decision to turn down Adcetris (brentuximab vedotin), saying that the lack of trial data generated for rare disease drugs “poses a challenge to the NICE methodology”.
The NHS was taken to court, and lost, after it was found that the HIV-prevention treatment can be made available on the national health service, but PrEP treatment has many critics. Why? Pharmafocus takes a look at the issue.
6 Shock for BMS as Opdivo misses goal in late-stage lung cancer trial
Having almost swept the board in terms of late-stage trial success to date, there was considerable shock when Bristol-Myers Squibb’s immunotherapy, Opdivo, failed to meet its primary endpoint as a monotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer in a Phase III trial.
5. AbbVie files lawsuit against Amgen over Humira copy
AbbVie looks set to move heaven and earth to protect its blockbuster status on Humira. Fighting Amgen over its proposed biosimilar will now happen in court.
4. ‘Game changer’ asthma pill sees significant reduction in severe symptoms
A new study has found that the first new asthma pill in nearly two decades, Novartis’s fevipiprant, has the potential to significantly reduce the severity of the condition.
3. Novo Nordisk diabetes drug Victoza fails to reduce heart failure risk
Victoza fails where Jardiance succeeded. Novo’s diabetes drug was found not to reduce the risk of patients suffering from heat failure in a Phase II study
2. Valeant under criminal investigation
The scene at Valeant’s offices last week: CEO Joseph Papa – “Just when I thought we were out, they pull us back in.” Valeant’s in trouble again. This time, it’s under investigation by US attorney’s office in Manhattan over its alleged Philidor philandering.
1. The impact of Brexit on the pharmaceutical industry: some preliminary considerations
For a second successive week, legal eagle Vincenzo Salvatore’s take on Brexit was the most read topic on Pharmafile.com. With article 50 yet to be triggered, how pharma will be affected by Brexit is still up in the air. Read our feature to find the implications.
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