EuroPharma Today

European Health Care Agencies Add Medco Clinical Services To Price Controls

European health care agencies are increasingly interested in new clinical service programs for drugs to create greater cost savings in light of growing inflation and budget deficits, according to Medco executives.

Shire Seizes On Gaucher Opening With EMEA Filing For Velaglucerase

Shire is pouncing on the big opening provided by rival Genzyme - which is facing ongoing manufacturing issues - to establish an early marketing foothold for its investigational enzyme replacement therapy, velaglucerase, for treating Type 1 Gaucher disease.

The company announced on Nov. 24 that it submitted a marketing authorization application for velaglucerase to the European Medicines Agency and has been granted an accelerated, 150-day review, given the global supply shortage of Genzyme's Cerezyme (imiglucerase).

Norway's Clavis gets $15m up-front from Clovis for Phase II Cancer Agent

Norway's Clavis Pharma earlier this week won $15 million upfront from Clovis Oncology for partial rights to a Phase 2 analogue of a top-selling chemotherapy agent for pancreatic cancer.

Genmab's Star Falls Amid Setbacks, Cuts And Manufacturing Fire-Sale

What a difference a year makes. In October 2008, Genmab's leaders were being applauded for their prudent strategic review as they cut 101 staff and axed the development of Phase III HuMax-CD4 (zanulimumab) plus a handful of earlier-stage programs, to concentrate instead on the potentially far larger Arzerra (ofatumumab) and zalutumumab, a late-stage EGFR-inhibitor. But now management credibility is being questioned, following the Nov. 5 announcement of a further 300 headcount reduction, setbacks to both remaining key programs, plus the fire-sale of its U.S. manufacturing unit acquired only 18 months earlier.

Financings of the Fortnight Has European Flavor

This morning Belgian J&J spin-out Movetis said it filed to raise up to more than €112 million in what could be Europe's first biopharma IPO since Italian biotech Molmed raised €56 million in February 2008 (sorry, MondoBIOTECH).

DeCode Enters Bankruptcy, Looks To Sell Assets To Its Former VCs

Icelandic biotech DeCode Genetics filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Nov. 16, likely signaling the end of one of the last surviving firms created during the genomics bubble at the end of the previous decade.

Dutch Biotech PanGenetics Secures $170m u/f in Abbott Deal

Abbott will pay Dutch antibody developer PanGenetics $170 million upfront for the global rights to a humanized antibody to nerve growth factor in Phase I clinical development for osteoarthritis. The agreement, announced Nov. 12, positions Abbott as a contender in a race to develop an NGF antibody for pain.

Glaxo Taps Astex for Fragment-Based Discovery Deal Worth At Least $33 Mil.

British biotech Astex Therapeutics landed a sizeable discovery deal with GlaxoSmithKline that comes as a surprise on two fronts: the big drug maker is guaranteeing $33 million, and the deal doesn't include options, which recently has been Glaxo's preferred method of discovery-stage deal-making.

UK Gov't Outlines Hands-Off Approach to Boosting VC

You thought the VC model was broken? Not according to the UK government, which today provided further detail on its plans to support an innovation-focused fund-of-funds to invest in VC funds covering life sciences, clean-tech and digital tech over a 12-15 year period.

Looking For Creative Strategies To Optimize Your Drug's Positioning & Reimbursement?

During this November 24 webinar, you’ll learn just what kinds of novel, brand-boosting payor deals pharma firms are creating.