GlaxoSmithKline plc plans to complete its previously announced restructuring – separating into a dedicated biopharma company and a new publicly-listed consumer healthcare business – over the next two years. The new biopharma business will focus on science related to the immune system, taking advantage of the company’s existing expertise in vaccines and immuno-oncology.
An antisense oligonucleotide directed against a non-coding microRNA in cardiac tissue has shown an ability to reverse heart failure in preclinical studies involving a variety of animal models including a clinically relevant pig model of heart failure. The results of the study were reported in Nature Communications on 31 January 2020. The lead author is Ariana Foinquinos of Hannover Medical School in Germany.
Roche finished 2019 with increases in both sales and operating profit despite competition from biosimilar versions of two of its core products. Group sales were CHF 61.5 billion ($63.8 billion), up by 8% even as the cancer drugs Herceptin and Rituxan retreated following the loss of exclusivity. Roche reported an operating profit of CHF 17.5 billion on the basis of International Financial Reporting Standards, up by 19%. Net income was CHF 14 billion, up by 30%.
Sandoz, the generics division of Novartis, has completed the acquisition of the Japanese business of Aspen Global Inc, expanding its presence in Japan, the third largest market for generics in the world. Aspen’s portfolio consists of about 20 products with a focus on ana+esthetics and specialty medicines. The acquisition gives Sandoz a dedicated sales, marketing and medical organisation enabling it to deal directly with hospitals.
Sandoz is paying €300 million upfront for the assets and €100 million after the closing of the deal.
Novartis continued to focus on proprietary drug development in 2019 while giving its Sandoz generics unit more autonomy within the company. Acquisitions and divestments continued to shape the business. During the year, Novartis spun out its Alcon eye division with its portfolio of ophthalmic surgical products, and spent $3.4 billion upfront to acquire a treatment for dry eye disease from Takeda Pharmaceutical Col Ltd. It also agreed to pay $9.7 billion to acquire The Medicines Company and its late stage product inclisiran for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Quench Bio Inc, a start-up biotech incubated by venture capitalists, has been launched in Cambridge, Mass, US to develop small molecule drugs for chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The launch was announced on 27 January concurrent with $50 million in Series A financing.
Switzerland-based GeNeuro SA has raised €17.5 million in a private share placement, enabling it to complete a new clinical trial of its experimental treatment for multiple sclerosis temelimab. The trial will be conducted at the Karolinska Institutet and the Academic Specialist Center in Stockholm, Sweden and is expected to report results in the second half of 2021.
A combination of the anti-platelet medicine Brilinta (ticagrelor) with aspirin can reduce the risk of stroke and death in patients with minor acute ischaemic stroke or at high risk of a transient ischaemic attack, according to AstraZeneca Plc. Data from a Phase 3 trial involving more than 11,000 patients showed a statistically significant and clinically meaningful reduction in the risk of stroke for those who received Brilinta and aspirin compared with aspirin alone.
Autolus Therapeutics Plc has raised a gross $80 million from a secondary offering on Nasdaq to support the ongoing clinical development of its engineered T cell therapies for cancer. After deducting expenses, the net proceeds for the company were $74.2 million. Autolus is a portfolio company of Syncona Ltd and has a pipeline of candidate products for the treatment of haematological malignancies and solid tumours.
The company made an initial public offering of shares on Nasdaq in 2018 and went back to the market the following year to raise $100.8 million.
A new epigenetic medicine has been approved in the US to treat epithelioid sarcoma, a rare sub-type of soft tissue sarcoma that affects young adults. The drug, Tazverik (tazemetostat), is a small molecule inhibitor of EZH2 methyltransferase which regulates gene expression. By blocking the activity of EZH2, the drug is expected to keep cancer cells from growing. The Food and Drug Administration announced the authorisation on 23 January.