World News

A new, cheaper, and heat-stable rotavirus vaccine could prevent thousands of childhood deaths. Vaccine maker Bharat Biotech announced that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has granted prequalification to its rotavirus vaccine ROTAVAC, used for prevention of infant deaths and hospitalizations due to rotavirus diarrhea. WHO prequalification is necessary for the …

GlaxoSmithKline’s new chief executive said on Tuesday that the British drugmaker would have a look at Pfizer Inc’s consumer products business, but would not overpay for the asset. Pfizer, the largest U.S. drugmaker, said last year it was considering strategic alternatives, including a sale or spinoff, of the consumer business, …

Novartis AG’s pioneering new cancer drug won enthusiastic support from a federal advisory panel on Wednesday, paving the way for approval of the first US gene therapy. The panel unanimously recommended that the Food and Drug Administration approve the drug, tisagenlecleucel, for patients ages 3 to 25 with relapsed B-cell …

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Vaxchora, a vaccine for the prevention of cholera caused by serogroup O1 in adults 18 through 64 years of age traveling to cholera-affected areas. Vaxchora is the only FDA-approved vaccine for the prevention of cholera. Cholera, a disease caused by Vibrio cholerae …

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has issued a notice to all TV channels and radio stations across the country to “immediately stop” airing advertisements related to contraceptives and family planning products. The decision comes in the wake of numerous complaints received by the regulatory authority against “undesired” content …

Today Novartis holds its third annual Meet Novartis Management event at its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, giving investors and analysts the opportunity to meet with more than 20 top executives from Novartis Group, divisions and research. The sessions provide a deeper view into the company’s strategy for long-term, sustainable value …

Arizona has become the first U.S. state to allow pharmacists to change the medicine prescribed on a doctor’s prescription for a similar drug product. The law requires the patient to be informed. Phoenix – In essence, the new law means that if a medical doctor prescribes a drug product branded …

Pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer has said it is blocking use of its drugs in lethal injections. The company said in a statement on its website: “Pfizer makes its products to enhance and save the lives of the patients we serve. “Consistent with these values, Pfizer strongly objects to the use of …

Today The Managing Director of MedRx Life Science Ltd. Mr. Mahmud Hasan met her Excellency Honourable High Commissioner of Sri Lanka at Her Office. Both of Them Had Discussion on Setting up Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plant in Sri Lanka. Mr. Hasan Also Showed His Interest to Work with Sri Lankan High …

Swiss pharmaceuticals maker Novartis says net income from continued operations fell 13 per cent in the first quarter as generic competition cut into sales of Gleevec, one of the first very effective cancer medicines. The Basel-based company said Thursday that net income from continuing operations declined to $2.01 billion from …

The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) is opposing the feminization of pharmacies, the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) confirmed. Haia has objected even if there are barriers between men and women in the shop, and despite pharmacies in malls employing women, Ibrahim …

Roche announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the investigational medicine ocrelizumab (OCREVUSTM) for the treatment of people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). There are currently no approved treatments for PPMS, a debilitating form of MS characterised by steadily worsening …

(Rajon Pandit): Australian police discovered millions of dollars worth of drugs hidden inside a shipment of bras, part of what they said Monday was the country’s biggest ever liquid methamphetamine bust. Officers found more than Aus$1 billion (US$712 million) of the lethally-addictive drug — also known as ice — in …

(Russell Lynch): The drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline was accused on Friday of cheating the NHS and the taxpayer after it was hit with a £37.6m fine for keeping the cost of anti-depressants artificially high. GSK bore the brunt of a total of £45m fines handed out by the Competition and Markets …

Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech has filed for global patent of two vaccine candidates – a recombinant vaccine and an inactivated vaccine – for Zika virus. The company announced that it could make available the inactivated vaccine in two years if the Indian Government fast-tracked the regulatory approvals once the pre-clinical trials proved to be successful. Addressing a press conference here on …

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Halaven (eribulin mesylate), a type of chemotherapy, for the treatment of liposarcoma (a specific type of soft tissue sarcoma) that cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable) or is advanced (metastatic). This treatment is approved for patients who received prior chemotherapy that contained …

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk has been ranked first among the pharmaceutical industries in the 2016 global list of 100 most sustainable corporations, released by the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. The world’s biggest insulin maker, in a statement on Tuesday, said the company ranked 19 in the overall list. The …

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, has signed an agreement with the Human Vaccines Project Inc. to partially fund the non-profit, public-private partnership convening leading academic researchers and industrial partners to solve the primary problems impeding vaccine/immunotherapy development by “decoding” the human immune system. The Project is a global …

Novartis has announced that it is adding to its diverse and deep immuno-oncology pipeline through a strategic alliance and licensing agreement with Surface Oncology. The agreement gives Novartis access to four pre-clinical programs that target regulatory T cell populations, inhibitory cytokines, and immunosuppressive metabolites in the tumor microenvironment. These programs …

Pfizer Inc. has announced an expansion of its Research & Development (R&D) investment strategy to include early-stage companies on the leading edge of scientific innovation, providing them with both equity and access to resources for research in promising areas aligned with Pfizer’s core interests. The first four investments of the …