Asia
It’s been a while since FSH was manufactured using the urine of menopausal nuns. But now, an Israeli company, Bio-Technology General (BTG), owned by Italian company Ferring Pharmaceuticals, has developed a genetically-engineered version of FSH that can be personalized to improve the odds of a patient getting pregnant.
ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects neurons in the brain and the spinal cord. The disease is usually fatal within two to five years of diagnosis. While there is no cure for the disease, multiple companies are working on treatments hoping to be the first to provide a viable option for patients like Scott Hayes. There are some treatments that may provide hope for patients.
Japan-based Astellas plunked down nearly $109 million to snap up privately-held gene therapy company Quethera Limited and its novel treatments for glaucoma and other ocular disorders.
CRISPR, the gene editing technique that promises designer babies, to end to all disease as we know it, and biohacking where individuals could change their own genome to include that of fluorescent jellyfish or lobster claws, seems to have more problems than originally thought.
Here’s a roundup of biopharma companies that have announced hiring trends since the beginning of the year.
As its core semiconductor and smartphone businesses slow down, South Korea’s Samsung Group has announced a broad investment into new areas. Those areas include artificial intelligence (AI), 5G mobile technology, electronic components for the automotive industry, and biopharmaceuticals.
Ambys Medicines, based in Redwood City, California, has launched in an unusual deal with Osaka, Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical Company.
China is the largest supplier of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) in the world, supplying 40 percent of APIs to global pharma companies. And a recent series of scandals and issues related to drug manufacturing in China has highlighted how many problems this could cause the global drug supply chain.
Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, released its second-quarter financial report and updated its business activities. Key among the announcements was the termination of a license deal with AstraZeneca for its lesinurad franchise.
The last two weeks have marked the second-quarterly financial report by numerous biopharma companies. Here’s a quick look at some of the major ones.
PRESS RELEASES