Novartis
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Novartis’ generics division, Sandoz, has been struggling in the face of intense pricing pressure. As a result, Novartis has been looking to sell off some of its Sandoz businesses.
Sam Isaly has finally stepped down from his position as a managing member OrbiMed more than four months after he was accused of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment allegations have been in the forefront of the news cycles for months as the #MeToo movement gained traction.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a complete response letter (CRL) to Sandoz, a division of Novartis, for its Biologics Licensing Application (BLA) for its biosimilar to Roche/Genentech’s Rituxan.
Venture capital firm Foresite Capital, located in San Francisco, is launching a new fund, its fourth and largest, worth $668 million.
While the biopharma industry awaits news of an acquisition of Shire by Takeda Pharmaceuticals, it’s a good time to take a look back at the bigger deals so far this year.
Is it possible for the pharma industry to invest too much money into research and development projects for one disease area? In an online essay Jay Bradner, president of Novartis’ Institutes for BioMedical Research, expressed some concern, particularly in areas like cancer research.
Despite strong sales of shingles vaccine Shingrix, GlaxoSmithKline reported its sales and earnings fell 2 percent in the first quarter of the year, largely due to challenges in respiratory sales as well as significant currency impact.
The biopharma industry is starting to leverage mobile apps and other digital technologies to improve access to clinical trials. Novartis launched FocalView, an app for ophthalmic patients involved in eye-related clinical trials.
Sanofi announced that Elias Zerhouni, head of Global Research and Development, is retiring on June 30. The company has appointed John Reed to replace him as of July 1.
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