News

The Roche Group has disclosed data from a one-year analysis of an open-label Phase 3b trial of its multiple sclerosis treatment Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), a monoclonal antibody targeting CD20-positive B  cells, a specific type of immune cell thought to contribute to myelin and nerve cell damage in the disease. The results showed that 75% of Ocrevus-treated patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis and primary progressive multiple sclerosis showed no evidence of disease progression. Moreover, 70% of these patients demonstrated stable or improved cognition after one year.

Following a year in which revenue from partnerships rose and new deals were secured, Evotec SE has forecast a higher turnover for 2022 and more aggressive spending on R&D. Werner Lanthaler, the chief executive, gave an upbeat financial forecast in a briefing for analysts on 12 April, emphasising the resilience of the company’s core service business where it provides drug discovery support to third parties across a wide range of disease areas. In 2021, the company was involved in 842 alliances and recorded a repeat business of 91%.

Carlyle, a private equity firm, is to expand its healthcare business with the acquisition of UK-based Abingworth LLP which has been providing venture capital to life science companies for decades. The transaction will combine Carlyle’s $301 billion of assets under management with the more than $2 billion in assets controlled by Abingworth. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

A panel of three arbitrators in the US has ruled against Genmab A/S in a royalty dispute with Janssen Biotech Inc effectively reducing royalty payments due to Genmab from a licensing agreement for the multiple myeloma treatment Darzalex (daratumumab). In an announcement on 8 April, Genmab said it is considering whether or not to appeal against the decision.

The European Medicines Agency has created a new forum to discuss the way cancer drugs are developed and administered in order to improve the healthcare outcomes for patients. The forum was launched in late March in partnership with the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), a non-profit organisation located in Belgium,

Pfizer Inc has taken steps to expand its portfolio of treatments for infectious disease with the acquisition of ReViral Ltd, a UK company with candidate products for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. The acquisition has been valued at up to $525 million. RSV is a respiratory pathogen which can lead to severe lower respiratory tract infections in young infants and older adults. There is currently no specific treatment for RSV infection, although the antibody therapeutic Synagis (palivizumab), approved for marketing in 1998, helps prevent serious lung infections caused by RSV.

The US Food and Drug Administration has given an accelerated approval to Novartis for a new drug to treat a rare group of genetic diseases known as PIK3CA-related overgrowth spectrum (PROS). The drug, Vijoice (alpelisib), was approved on the basis of real-world evidence from patients who received alpelisib as part of a compassionate use programme.

The PROS group of disorders cause overgrowth in parts of the body due to mutations in the PIK3CA gene. Vijoice is a kinase inhibitor designed to block the PI3K pathway and predominantly the P13K-alpha isoform.

Novartis has put a new strategy into place for its innovative medicines business in order to spur product development and cut costs. The changes will create separate commercial organisations for the US and elsewhere while integrating the group’s corporate, R&D and business development activities for proprietary medicines as a single function. The reorganisation will not affect Novartis’ generics business unit Sandoz which is undergoing a separate strategic review, the company told MedNous.

V-Bio Ventures of Belgium has raised €110 million for its second life science fund in order to support young companies in the medical and agricultural sectors. V-Bio Fund 2 is being supported by many of the limited partners of the company’s first fund as well as new investors. The first fund was supported by the European Investment Fund as a cornerstone investor.

Zealand Pharma A/S, a developer of peptide-based medicines, has appointed a new chief executive and embarked on a plan to restructure its portfolio in order to reduce operating expenses and free up money for research and development. Adam Steensberg will replace Emmanuel Dulac as CEO with a mandate to generate new pharmaceutical assets. Dr Steensberg has been promoted to CEO after having served as chief medical officer and vice president for research and development.