Top 10 pharma R&D spenders in 2021
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Today's Rundown

Featured Story

BMS-Nektar's Opdivo combo fails phase 3 in upset to once-largest licensing deal in biotech history

Bristol Myers Squibb and Nektar Therapeutics said a phase 3 trial of the biotech's bempegaldesleukin combined with the Big Pharma's checkpoint inhibitor Opdivo in patients with untreated unresectable or metastatic melanoma failed. The drug was part of BMS' commitment of up to $3.6 billion to Nektar in 2018, which was the largest licensing deal in biotech history at the time.

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Top Stories

Long wait for pivotal data on Sanofi's oral SERD ends in failure

Sanofi’s oral selective estrogen receptor degrader amcenestrant has flunked a pivotal trial. The failure of amcenestrant as a second-line or later treatment of ER+/HER2- advanced or metastatic breast cancer leaves Sanofi looking to studies in earlier-stage patients to rescue the potential blockbuster.

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Top 10 pharma R&D budgets in 2021

Roche will not be beaten when it comes to pharma R&D. The company lands at No. 1 on our Pharma R&D budget list once again, but who else made it?

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BridgeBio plots path to market for muscular dystrophy drug after posting phase 2 data

BridgeBio Pharma has posted an upbeat update on its limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2i program. With a phase 2 trial linking BBP-418 to positive biomarker changes, BridgeBio is preparing to talk to regulators about paths to market for the treatment of muscle wasting in the arms and legs.

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Ascendis scores in phase 3 trial as it looks to expand endocrine-focused portfolio

Ascendis Pharma checked off its top boxes in a phase 3 hypoparathyroidism trial, improving calcium levels in nearly 80% of patients treated and lessening disease severity. The PaTHway trial's primary endpoint was a composite measure of serum calcium levels and independence from conventional therapy with no increase in the study drug, TransCon PTH, within the four weeks prior to the week 26 visit.

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Nutcracker snags $167M series C to develop 'push-button' RNA manufacturing, signs on former Gilead CFO

Nutcracker Therapeutics snagged $167 million to bankroll development of messenger RNA therapies for cancer. The California biotech will also build out its manufacturing platform across discovery, clinical and commercialization stages.

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Drugmakers unite to set digital standards for Alzheimer's disease studies

Some of the largest drugmakers tackling Alzheimer’s disease and its related dementias are banding together to ensure their pursuits make the best use of the truly massive amounts of digital data that can be gathered from patients as the companies look to track their progress.

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AstraZeneca, Merck's Lynparza snags first-in-class FDA nod for early breast cancer

Lynparza is solidifying its lead in the PARP inhibitor class. The AstraZeneca and Merck drug has nabbed an FDA approval as a post-surgery adjuvant treatment for a specific type of breast cancer and posted an updated survival win.

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Stevanato's growth spree rolls on with China plant purchase, plans for 270 jobs

A week after Italian vials manufacturer Stevanato announced a $95 million deal with the U.S. government to expand operations at its facility under construction in Fishers, Indiana, the company says it has acquired a plant in Zhangjiagang, China, which it will expand to 32,000 square feet.

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KFF study: Why addressing affordability needs to go beyond plan premiums

Many households did not have enough assets to pay the typical deductibles and most can’t afford to meet high deductibles.

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Novartis' Sandoz bulks up in respiratory as strategic review of the generics outfit rolls on

Sandoz is beefing up in respiratory medicine even as parent company Novartis weighs the generics outfit's future. The company on Monday said it acquired British medical and drug delivery device developer Coalesce Product Development. Meanwhile, Novartis' strategic review of Sandoz, launched last October, rolls on.

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FDA upgrades Baxter infusion pump safety issue to Class I recall

The recall encompasses more than 277,000 devices distributed in the U.S. between early 2015 and this year, according to the FDA.

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Yale scientists energize CAR-T cancer immunotherapy by hitting the gas on metabolism

Scientists at Yale University have found a way to enhance the cancer-killing power of CAR-T cells by reprogramming an amino acid metabolism pathway. The discovery could guide the development of cell therapies with improved tumor control, the researchers said, and potentially enable them to treat solid tumors.

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Potential Alzheimer's biomarker may also be weaponized by melanoma cells, research finds

The long-debated Alzheimer's biomarker amyloid beta may play an active role in the spread of melanoma cells in the brain, according to new research from NYU Langone. The researchers found that the peptides were in higher numbers in the brain than elsewhere in the body and that they shielded the cancer cells from the body's immune response.

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Resources

eBook: Leveraging Clinical Data for Study Success

The landscape of clinical trials has been permanently changed. Today's trials require sponsors to modernize their use of technology and data to adapt. This eBook provides an overview of how sponsors can empower trials with real-time performance data to improve study integrity, reduce risks, optimize patient safety, and increase trial success rates.

Whitepaper: Autologous CAR T-Cell Manufacturing: Semiautomatic, Closed, Modular Workflow

Learn how to navigate the top manufacturing challenges and achieve a seamless transition from discovery to clinical manufacturing across the CAR T-cell therapy workflow.

eBook: EMEA Regulatory Roadblocks around Decentralized Trials

Learn about ways to break down regulatory roadblocks and get closer to 100% clarity on regulatory positions to advance decentralized clinical trials in research.

Whitepaper: Top 5 Challenges Of Decentralized Clinical Trials And How To Overcome Them

How to overcome top challenges faced in decentralized trials.

Paid Marketplace: United Cargo: Providing comprehensive solutions for the most critical shipments

The United Cargo team has made a commitment to pharmaceutical and medical partners that we are equipped to support their vaccine transportation needs safely and effectively across our expansive global and domestic network. The safety and security of these commodities is our priority, and we are proud to be a trusted partner in these efforts. Download infographic now.

Whitepaper: Lipid-Based Drug Delivery System to Bring Poorly Soluble Drugs to Market

How can Lipid-Based Drug Delivery System help bring poorly soluble drugs to market?

Whitepaper: Versatility of Softgel Technology - Encapsulation of a Volatile Compound

Learn more about how the versatility of Softgel Technology helped a customer with a volatile compound.

Whitepaper: The Most Suitable Dosage Form Technologies for the Oral Delivery of Lipid-Based Formulations

What is the most suitable dosage form technology for the Oral Delivery of Lipid-Based Formulations?

Webinar: The Faster Path From Pre-Filled Syringe to Auto-Injector

Ypsomed and Catalent Biologics experts discuss strategies for integrated PFS manufacturing and auto-injector assembly to accelerate timelines and more in this webinar.

Whitepaper: Formulation Strategies When Transitioning From Vial to PFS

Learn how formulation development for a PFS affects manufacturing to drive the industry toward optimizing delivery of injectable products and, ultimately, improving patient care.

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