The pharma industry briefing

The latest news, approvals and clinical trials you need to know about this month

Data: News
in Numbers

CNY3.4 4m

The sum of money that Chinese authorities have fined Changsheng Biotech following accusations by the State Drug Administration that the company had forged records for 110,000 rabies vaccines

30%

The percentage of staff members expected to leave the European Medical Association as a result of its relocation from London to Amsterdam

$52,3210

The cost of 12 vials of Horizon Pharma’s Actimmune, a treatment indicated for osteopetrosis and chronic granulomatous disease. It is currently the most costly drug by list price in the US

Five

The number of major companies that have approved branded drugs in the inflammatory bowel disease market, including J&J, AbbVie, Takeda, UCB, and Pfizer

$73.04bn

$600

million

The expected market value of the global pharmaceutical packaging market in 2018, according to a new report from Transparency Market Research

Doctors in the UK will be to prescribe medical marijuana products “by the autumn” according to an announcement from the Home Office.

UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid, said: “Recent cases involving sick children made it clear to me that our position on cannabis-related medicinal products was not satisfactory.

“Following advice from two sets of independent advisors, I have taken the decision to reschedule cannabis-derived medicinal products – meaning they will be available on prescription.”

Source: Independent

Hyperactivity drugs are safe and effective, research shows

An international project led by the UK has concluded that medication is an effective way to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children.

Claimed to be the most comprehensive study into the benefits and side-effects of ADHD drugs so far, researcher used data from more than 14,000 children and 10,000 adults who participated in 133 clinical trials of ADHD drugs, including unpublished trials conducted by members of the pharma industry.

Over prescription has long been a cause of scepticism and controversy when it comes to ADHD medication, researchers stated that this public concern was not supported by their findings.

Source: Financial TiMES

Dutch research study halted after 11 infant fatalities

Scientists in the Netherlands have suspended a trial testing the use of Viagra to increase blood flow in pregnant women with poorly developed placentas after 11 newborn babies died.

Amsterdam University Medical Centre, which carried out the research along with ten other hospitals in the Netherlands, the study had been stopped after the deaths of the babies, and after others developed lung disease having been born prematurely.

Source: France24

Africa welcomes Chinese investments in pharmaceutical industry

During a speech delivered at the High-Level Meeting on China-Africa Health Cooperation in Beijing, China, Tanzanian Health Minister Ummy Ali Mwalimu invited more Chinese companies to invest in Tanzania’s pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, which she claimed would enhance the accessibility and affordability of medicine in the country.

"The price of health commodities has been reduced by about 40 percent," she said. "For example, we used to buy some medicine, let's say one dose for $1,000. Right now, since we have decided to buy directly from Chinese manufacturers, we get it for $600."

Source: ECNS

Opdivo and Keytruda approved in new lung cancer uses

The FDA has approved Merck’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab) as a combination treatment for metastatic nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), after green-lighting Bristol-Myers Squibb’s (BMS) rival blockbuster Opdivo (nivolumab) for small cell lung cancer (SCLC)

Source: PharmaphorUM

FDA approves treatment for two rare types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma

The US Food and Drug Administration approved Poteligeo (mogamulizumab-kpkc) injection for intravenous use for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory mycosis fungoides or Sézary syndrome after at least one prior systemic therapy. This approval provides a new treatment option for patients with MF and is the first FDA approval of a drug specifically for Sézary syndrome.

Source: FDA

China National Drug Administration grants rapid approval of Roche's Alecensa (alectinib)

The China National Drug Administration (CNDA) has granted marketing authorisation for Alecensa® (alectinib) as a monotherapy treatment for patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive, advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Source: Nasdaq

Marinomed receives EU nod for common cold therapy

Vienna-based Marinomed Biotech has received EU-wide approval for a new common cold treatment.

The company describes the therapy as a nasal spray that alleviates nasal congestion without use of a pharmaceutical ingredient, while simultaneously combatting the viral infection of the airways using the respiratory therapy Carragelose (carrageenan).

Source: The Pharma Letter