Evotec AG continued to thrive in the 2017 second quarter and first-half year benefiting from the growth of its drug discovery services for third parties. In a call with analysts on 10 August, the company confirmed that revenue for the year is expected to grow by more than 15%.
Despite downward pressure on insulin prices in the US, Novo Nordisk was able to increase group sales in the first half year of this year on the strength of its new generation insulins and Victoza, its glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drug for Type 2 diabetes.
A Phase 2a study of a drug developed by Galapagos NV for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis has halted the progression of the disease in a randomised, placebo-controlled study. Galapagos said it is making plans for a late-stage trial.
H. Lundbeck A/S has made significant progress in improving profitability following a rolling restructuring programme that began in 2015. At 30 June, the company’s operating margin was 24.3%, up from 12.7% a year earlier. This compares with an operating loss in 2015.
While new collaborations spring up regularly among developers of antibody drugs, existing partnerships also expire.
GW Pharmaceuticals Plc expects to complete its US regulatory submission for Epidiolex, a drug for childhood epilepsy, in October. Provided the review is favourable the drug could be launched in 2018, the company said.
An experiment in which CRISPR-Cas9 was used to repair a gene mutation in a human embryo appears to have solved two safety problems associated with this technology while raising ethical questions about its long-term application.
After securing rights to a compound developed by Innate Pharma SA in 2011, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMS) has expanded its investment in innate immunity with the purchase of IFM Therapeutics Inc of Boston, Massachusetts.
Shire Plc has disclosed for the first time that it is considering a possible listing for its neuroscience division which includes its revenue-generating drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. A review of the franchise is underway with a decision expected by the end of the year.
With US regulatory approval of a partnered antibody product now in hand, MorphoSys AG has started to move quickly to consolidate its position as an independent drug developer.