AstraZeneca

Merck & Co. found itself with two new approvals this week. The FDA approved Lynparza (codeveloped by AstraZeneca and Merck) and also approved Merck’s Keytruda. Both of these drugs were approved for new indications.

Although every year, big biopharma companies give up on some programs, 2018 seems like it has been marked by unusually extensive program abandonment.

AstraZeneca and its MedImmune division announced results from its Phase III EAGLE clinical trial. Imfinzi, in combination with tremelimumab, an anti-CTLA4 antibody, compared to standard-of-care (SoC) chemotherapy, failed to meet its primary endpoints in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) whose disease progressed after platinum-based chemotherapy, regardless of the PD-L1 status of their cancer.

The FDA is often publishing draft guidelines and asking for expert feedback on that guidance. It’s been a busy week in this regard, with several areas of healthcare and drug development and manufacturing being covered by the agency. Here’s a look.

As Britain continues to move forward with its plans to leave the European Union, a new report indicates that the so-called “Brexit” will have a negative impact on healthcare in the United Kingdom.

Asthma drug failed to show a statistically clinical improvement in controlling asthma, Dynavax said.

AstraZeneca is attempting to find encouraging news in the failure of its MYSTIC clinical trial, but it doesn’t look good.

Two weeks after acquiring two drugs from AstraZeneca in a $700 million deal, Germany-based Grünenthal flexed its M&A muscle again to acquire Averitas Pharma to extend its commercial footprint in the United States.

Two weeks after reporting a 45 percent growth in revenue for the third quarter, compared to last year, Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (Sobi) has snapped up the U.S. rights to AstraZeneca’s respiratory drug, Synagis, a drug used to treat RSV in infants, for $1.5 billion.