Bio/Pharma News

The Berlin-Buch facility will begin manufacture of the company’s immune cell therapy.

Hospira’s Inflectra (infliximab), a biosimilar for Remicade, is approved by the European Commission.

Genzyme will partner with Voyager Therapeutics for the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel gene therapies for central nervous system disorders.

Pfenex announced that it entered into an agreement to partner with Hospira on the development and commercialization of PF582, a biosimilar candidate to Lucentis.

Amgen announced that it met primary and secondary endpoints in its biosimilar evaluation of adalimumab for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, when compared to Humira.

AstraZeneca announced that it would strengthen its respiratory pipeline with the acquisition of Actavis’ branded respiratory business in the US and Canada.

The cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer was approved more than two months ahead of the prescription drug user fee goal date.

Sanofi launched a rapidly absorbed, short-acting inhalable insulin in the US to help control type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Merck announced that the responsibility for its diabetes and thyroid brands will be shifted back to EMD Serono in Russia, removing the responsibility from its marketing partner, Takeda.

The Shantha facility will be Sanofi's second, in addition to its site in Frankfurt, for production of Insuman insulin.

EMD Millipore will provide process development services for Precision Biologics’ preclinical monoclonal antibody.

Bristol-Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson announced FDA-approval of Evotaz and Prezcobix, combination HIV-1 infection treatments.

AstraZeneca and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center announced a plan to collaborate for the improvement of patient outcomes in clinical trials with investigational therapies.

Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced that Giovanni Caforio will be the company’s chief executive officer effective May 5; Lamberto Andreotti has been named chairman.

Catalent announced that it would partner with Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, and its subsidiary MGC Pharma, to promote GPEx technology, a high-titer vector for stable mammalian cell lines.

Boehringer Ingelheim announced that it would partner with Vanderbilt University to research and develop Ras inhibitors for the treatment of cancers affected by Ras mutation.

Sanofi has entered into a strategic manufacturing collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim for the manufacture of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs).

Catalent Pharma Solutions and Sanofi-Aventis R&D have entered into a collaboration to develop Sanofi’s proprietary antibodies using Catalent’s SMARTag antibody drug conjugate (ADC) platform.

Eight new projects will focus on the diverse needs of the Ebola epidemic, such as new vaccine development, production and distribution, and new diagnostic methods.

Shire adds rare-disease portfolio with acquisition of NPS Pharma.

Bristol-Myers Squibb announced that it stopped its study of Opdivo for the treatment of 2nd line squamous cell lung cancer due to superior overall survival of study participants.

Single-use components aid efficiency in automated personalized therapy manufacturing.

Cardio3 BioSciences acquired Celdara Medical’s immuno-oncology platform, OnCyte, for up to $180 million in cash, stock, and royalties.

The exclusivity deal mirrors that of the recent deal between Express Scripts and AbbVie for Viekira Pak.

Protein Sciences will evaluate sourcing Flublok from its Japanese licensee, UMN Pharma, which already runs a large-scale facility for the vaccine.

The partnership will focus on the discovery of antibodies against proteins that are not easily purified in functional form.

Merck announced that it acquired OncoEthix, a biotechnology company specializing in oncology drug development, for up to $375 million.

Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies announced the completion of the acquisition of Kalon Biotherapeutics, a company that specializes in advanced biologics development manufacturing.

Actavis announced a senior leadership team comprised of both Actavis and Allergan leaders designed to facilitate dynamic company growth.