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Jul 18, 2017

Takeda scores blockbuster Velcade patent reprieve till 2022 In a major lift for Takeda and its aging multiple myeloma blockbuster Velcade, a U.S. appeals court overturned a ruling that invalidated a key patent, granting new exclusivity that should translate to significant sales over time. Takeda will have exclusive ...

Jul 12, 2017

Obstetrician and gynaecologist Brenda Fitzgerald will direct the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which was announced on 7th July. Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald has led the Georgia Department of Public Health since 2011, and has championed early-intervention programmes to improve maternal health and coun...

Jul 11, 2017

Gilead faces revived lawsuit claiming it sidestepped FDA with HIV drug imports Gilead Sciences thought it had prevailed in a whistleblower lawsuit alleging it circumvented FDA rules to use a China-made active ingredient in three top HIV meds, rather than a higher-priced version from South Korea that the agency had a...

Jul 06, 2017

Stada’s €5.3B buyout Sinks, brings in new CEO and CFO After failing to win the shareholder support needed to complete a €5.32 billion buyout, Stada is changing key executives. The company announced the resignations of CEO Matthias Wiedenfels and CFO Helmut Kraft following a board meeting on Tuesday and quickly appoi...

Jul 03, 2017

Actinic keratosis is also known as a solar keratosis is considered as precancerous or an early form of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. It is characterized by rough, erythematous patches with scaly macules or papules on the skin. It is caused by prolonged exposure to the sun and extensive expos...

Jun 29, 2017

Merck targeted in global ransomware attack Merck & Co. was among those affected by a massive ransomware attack Tuesday that infiltrated the computer systems of companies around the world as well as government ministries in Ukraine. Merck confirmed in Twitter posts Tuesday that it was hit in the cyberattack but d...

Jun 28, 2017

One of the world’s largest science publishers, Elsevier, won a default legal judgment on 21 June against websites that provide illicit access to tens of millions of research papers and books. A New York district court awarded Elsevier US$15 million in damages for copyright infringement by Sci-Hub, the Library of Gen...

Jun 27, 2017

With patent loss looming, Takeda knocks proposed Velcade copycats in FDA petition Takeda’s multiple myeloma blockbuster Velcade is quickly running out of patent protection, but the drug maker has filed a citizen petition it hopes can stave off competition for a little while longer. The Japanese pharma giant asked th...

Jun 22, 2017

Novartis takes on Regeneron with AMD drug that needs fewer doses than Eylea Last year, U.S. sales of Regeneron’s drug to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD) came in at $3.3 billion—68% of the company’s total revenues—so it’s no wonder investors have been expressing some concerns about potential rivals movin...

Jun 21, 2017

The Chinese government is going on the offensive against scientists who dupe journals by creating fraudulent reviews of submitted papers. A coalition of agencies led by the science ministry announced on 14 June that the government would suspend the grants of researchers involved in such fraud, which surfaced earlier...