To view this email as a web page, click here

Subscribe

Advertise

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 25, 2018

Welcome to FierceLifeSci Weekly Digest, your roundup of the biggest and most popular stories from each of our publications.

 

Publisher’s Note: In preparation for the new GDPR taking effect this month, we would like to reconfirm your subscription to our newsletter(s). Please click this link to reconfirm your subscription. For more information about GDPR, please visit this page.

Featured Story

Cohen scandal disrupts ex-Novartis CEO's move to hedge fund board: WSJ

Former Novartis CEO Joe Jimenez—who authorized the ill-fated Michael Cohen deal—was set to join the board of a leading hedge fund, but the plans are now on hold, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Top Stories Of The Week

AstraZeneca opens South San Francisco facility housing 400 R&D staff

AstraZeneca has officially opened its new research facility in South San Francisco, bundling five of its Bay Area sites into a single unit at the heart of California’s biotech cluster.

Merck rains on Roche's parade with double Keytruda win in squamous lung cancer

Merck already controls a big piece of the first-line non-small cell lung cancer market, and it likely just secured most of the rest. Its immunotherapy Keytruda nailed a study in previously untreated patients with the squamous form of the disease, who represent up to 30% of newly diagnosed NSCLC cases.

GlaxoSmithKline veteran Zhi Hong launches Brii Biosciences with $260M

Armed with a trio of partnerships and $260 million in the bank, Brii Biosciences' mission is to overcome the challenges that have prevented the spread of innovative medicines throughout China.

Novartis' brand-new gene therapy player AveXis will build $55M plant, hire 200

AveXis, the gene therapy biotech Novartis snapped up for $8.7 billion, will build a new manufacturing plant in North Carolina to produce its specialized therapies.

Up-and-coming Pfizer, AbbVie drugs set to threaten Amgen, Celgene: analyst

With Pfizer’s Xeljanz snapping up new indications and AbbVie’s upadacitinib on the way, makers of anti-inflammatory drugs will soon feel the heat from JAK inhibitors if they haven't already. But some will feel it more than others, Bernstein analysts say.

FDA issues Class I recall for Abbott’s HeartMate 3 heart pump

The FDA issued a Class I recall for Abbott’s HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist device due to possible twisting of the outflow graft that could result in a persistent low-flow alarm, which normally signals potential safety risks including low blood flow or clotting that could lead to serious injury or death.

New discovery links nicotine with obesity-fighting ‘beige’ fat

Scientists engaged in the fight against obesity have long been aware that white fat cells burn energy and protect against obesity. But efforts to understand how white fat becomes “beige” and takes on all the good characteristics of brown fat have largely failed. Now researchers at American University believe they’ve uncovered a signaling pathway that prompts beige cells to burn energy.

Pfizer jumps on the scene in RSV, pushing vaccine candidate into human testing

Pfizer is counting on several mid- and late-stage vaccine candidates to carry the torch after its megablockbuster pneumococcal shot Prevnar 13, the world's bestselling vaccine, slows down. But it's stocking its early pipeline, too.

PPD joins MIT think tank focused on real-world evidence

Pharmaceutical Product Development, along with its real-world business unit, Evidera, will represent the first contract research organization to join the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s collaborative biotech think tank.

Resources

[Whitepaper] A Simpler Approach to RBM in Clinical Trial Management

Learn how cloud-enabled solutions provide real-time insights and actionable analytics to improve clinical trial safety and performance in this short presentation.

[Whitepaper] Five Tracking Spreadsheets it’s Time for Regulatory to Retire

Find out how to eliminate regulatory’s tracking spreadsheets for good.

[Whitepaper] Regulatory Transformation at UCB

UCB took a more holistic approach to managing regulatory processes. Read how their efforts are paying off.

[Whitepaper] Risk-based Approach to Change Management of GxP Systems

Learn how to reduce change management burden, keep systems current, and maintain compliance by applying a risk-based approach to change management of GxP systems.

[Whitepaper] Digitizing the Global Life Sciences Supply Chain: The Critical Role of Digital Transaction Management

Life science companies are experiencing a significant transformation in how they bring new products to market.

.