News

Qiagen bids for French diagnostics company

Country
Netherlands

Qiagen NV, the Netherlands-based holding company for the German diagnostics company of the same name, is offering to buy Ipsogen SA of France in two stages for approximately €70 million starting with the purchase of a 47% stake.

IMI and US Critical Path Institute to collaborate

Country
Belgium

The European Union’s public-private partnership for drug development research, the Innovative Medicines Initiative, is to formally collaborate with the US Critical Path Institute, in a move to share more information from pre-competitive research.

FDA approves new test for Herceptin

Country
United States

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a new genetic test that will help physicians to determine if women with human epidermal growth factor Receptor 2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer can benefit from Herceptin (trastuzumab).

FDA approves ezogabine for partial seizures

Country
United Kingdom

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved ezogabine, a potassium channel opener, as an adjunctive treatment for partial-onset seizures in patients 18 years and older. The developers are Valeant Pharmaceuticals and GSK.

FDA approves new imaging system

Country
United States

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a new imaging device that enables the simultaneous administration of a positron emission tomography scan (PET) and a magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI). The device has been developed by Siemens.

EMA strengthens conflict-of interest rules

Country
United Kingdom

The European Medicines Agency’s management board has taken steps to strengthen its conflict-of- interest rules for staff following a controversy involving its former executive director who became a consultant after leaving the agency.

CureVac reports immune response to cancer vaccine

Country
Germany

CureVac GmbH, which has a messenger RNA vaccine in development for prostate cancer has reported that the vaccine induced an immune response to at least one antigen in 79% of patients in a Phase 1/2a study.

Lundbeck’s chief commercial officer resigns

Country
Denmark

H. Lundbeck A/S has announced the resignation of its executive vice president for commercial operations, Stig Løkke Pedersen, who will pursue new opportunities. The board of directors has begun the recruitment of a successor.

MDxHealth assay pioneered in cancer trials

Country
Belgium

A molecular diagnostic developed by MDxHealth of Belgium will be used to screen patients for a second oncology trial in what is seen as a further expansion of the rapidly evolving field of personalised medicine. The assay tests methylation status.