Pharma News

Aurobindo Pharma to invest Rs. 300 crores for expanding its mammalian cell culture manufacturing facility of CuraTeQ Biologics which is a fully owned subsidiary of the Drug maker.

There was a meeting held on 1st september where all the board members agreed to expand its operations by establishing another mammalian cell culture manufacturing facility of higher capacity to cater to the future requirements. The capital expenditure for ramping up capacities is estimated to be around Rs.300 crores.

Novo Nordisk and Forma Therapeutics, Holdings Inc. announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Novo Nordisk will acquire Forma Therapeutics for USD 20 per share in cash, which represents a total equity value of USD 1.1bn. Forma Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on transforming the lives of patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and rare blood disorders.

Novo Nordisk has agreed to pay USD 6.3 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by selling items to the United States that were manufactured in non-designated countries.

The settlement resolves allegations that Novo Nordisk violated the Trade Agreements Act, which restricts the procurement of goods under certain government contracts to purchases from specific designated countries, by submitting false claims for payment for medical devices that were manufactured in non-designated countries.

Novartis is making strong immunology portfolio by investing in immunological diseases such as spanning hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), Sjogrens syndrome, axial spondyloarthritis, and psoriasis.

Novartis will showcase data from its leading immunology portfolio and emerging pipeline at the upcoming 31st European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress and the 15th International Symposium on September 7–10, 2022.

Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of a 30-µg booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent for individuals ages 12 years and older.

And on the same day,  Moderna, Inc. has also received emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Omicron-targeting bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine.

An experimental combination of two drugs halts the progression of small cell lung cancer, the deadliest form of lung cancer, according to a study in mice from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Grenoble Alpes University in Grenoble, France, and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

University researchers have found a naturally occurring compound, known as hydroquinine, has bacterial killing activity against several microorganisms.

Antimicrobial resistance has become one of the greatest threats to public health globally. It occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making it difficult to treat infections. Because of this, there is a pressing need for the development of new antimicrobial drugs to combat infections.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Xenpozyme for the treatment of non-central nervous system manifestations of acid sphingomyelinase deficiency in adult and pediatric patients.

Xenpozyme is the first therapy indicated specifically for the treatment of ASMD (acid sphingomyelinase deficiency), and is currently the only approved treatment for this disease.

From 2023, there will be no free COVID-19 vaccines for Americans. The US federal government may opt for full commercialization of COVID-19 vaccines and other oral antiviral medicines.

The US federal government has played the central coordinating role in buying, distributing, and ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and tests.