Pharma News

Biogen Inc announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new intramuscular (IM) injection route of administration for PLEGRIDY® (peginterferon beta-1a) for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The new IM administration offers people living with relapsing MS the well-characterized efficacy and safety of PLEGRIDY with the potential for significantly reduced injection site reactions.

Gilead Sciences, Inc and Gritstone Oncology, Inc a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing next generation cancer and infectious disease immunotherapies, today announced that the companies have entered into a collaboration, option and license agreement to research and develop a vaccine-based immunotherapy as part of Gilead’s efforts to find a curative treatment for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

In a joint press briefing today together with German Health Minister Jens Spahn, Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia, Armin Laschet, and Chief Executive Officer of CureVac N.V., Franz-Werner Haas, Member of the Board of Management, Bayer AG and President of the Bayer’s Pharmaceuticals Division, Stefan Oelrich, made the following statement  “Following discussions with the German government it has become clear that current manufacturing capacities for vaccines need to be increased, particularly for potential variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Eli Lilly and Company has partnered with local health systems to launch dedicated infusion center locations serving central, northern, and now southern Indiana that are intended to provide Hoosiers with access to important COVID-19 treatments.  Multiple neutralizing antibody therapies, administered via intravenous infusion, have been granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in high-risk patients.

Eisai Co., Ltd announced that Eisai Korea Inc., Eisai’s subsidiary in South Korea, has launched the Parkinson’s disease treatment Equfina® (safinamide mesilate, “safinamide”). This is the first launch of Equfina in the Asian region excluding Japan.

India Inc. and especially the Healthcare industry which has been battling the demon of COVID-19 and its aftermath should consider this year’s budget a blessing. Quite rightly, the budget has focused on health and well-being, infrastructural reforms, development of human capital and minimum government and maximum governance. The very fact that the Government has put health as the first pillar shows that finally it is being considered as the prerequisite to ensure the economic well-being of the country.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited announced that it has completed the previously announced sale of TachoSil Fibrin Sealant Patch (TachoSil) to Corza Health, Inc for €350 million.

To address the lack of access to tests and testing services in multiple countries, WHO since 2018 has published a yearly essential diagnostics list (EDL), a basket of recommended in vitro diagnostics that should be available at point-of-care and in laboratories in all countries to increase timely and life-saving diagnoses.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited announced new data from the Phase 1/2 trial of mobocertinib (TAK-788) orally administered in previously treated patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) Exon20 insertion+ metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) will be presented as a late-breaking oral session at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2020 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) on Friday, January 29 SGT.

The private health sector is playing an important role in supplementing the activities of Government agencies in the on-going pan-India vaccination campaign to bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control.