Industry News

Healthcare groups met in late July 2020 to discuss the state of the US pharmaceutical supply chain and the impact of COVID-19.

As biopharma companies and research institutes advance the development of COVID-19 vaccines, policy makers and health officials are debating strategies for ensuring fair and equitable distribution of anticipated preventives.

Efforts by regulators seek common approaches to clinical research and biopharmaceutical production needed to wipe out the coronavirus pandemic globally.

Avacta Group has expanded its partnership with Daewoong Pharmaceutical to include Affimer molecules that target viruses, such as coronavirus.

EMA has started a review of dexamethasone as a treatment for adults with COVID-19 who require respiratory support and have been admitted to hospital.

Sterling Pharma Solutions has signed a deal with Moleculin Biotech to support the development of WP1122, a potential COVID-19 treatment.

Celltrion Healthcare has announced that the EC has granted marketing authorization for its subcutaneous formulation of Remsima (infliximab, CT-P13).

DuPont Nutrition and Biosciences has entered into a research collaboration in microbiome science with the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine at Rutgers University.

Following a review, CPhI Japan has been postponed until April 14–16, 2021 to ensure positive business conditions and greater attendance.

Patient advocates, research experts, and industry are calling for more user fee revenues to support CBER programs to advance innovative therapies.

The UK government is committing a further £100 million (US $127 million) to ensure that there is capability to manufacture a successful COVID-19 vaccine at scale in the UK.

The European Medicines Agency has set up an infrastructure to support real-world monitoring of the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.

Catalent has unveiled investment plans to create a European center of excellence for clinical biologics formulation development and drug product fill/finish services.

Should therapies and vaccines be cheap or free in a pandemic and would that really dry up innovation?

Innovate UK has awarded Epsilogen with further grant funding for the development of the next generation antibody treatments for ovarian cancer.

The UK government has secured early access to 90 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from the BioNTech/Pfizer alliance and Valneva.

Catalent has unveiled plans to invest in a European center of excellence for clinical biologics formulation development and drug product fill/finish services at its facility in Limoges, France.

Industry should be seeking more information from FDA on how it will restart its current inspection program.

Industry has welcomed the launch of the Global AMR Action Fund, which aims to bring two to four new antibiotics to patients by 2030 to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

The Committee for Human Medicinal Products (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has issued its final opinion on measures for companies to take that will limit the presence of nitrosamines in human medicines.

Global regulatory authorities have published a report describing the aligned positions on COVID-19 vaccine development, which were agreed upon by meeting participants of the second workshop on COVID-19 vaccine development.

The agency is hoping to restart performing on-site domestic inspections during the week of July 20, 2020 depending on factors such as the status of COVID-19 in the state of inspection and local rules and guidelines.

FDA officials are moving to clarify standards and requirements for vetting and approving viable preventives.

BARDA and DOD have awarded a $450-million contract to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals to manufacture and supply an investigational double antibody cocktail in development for treating COVID-19.

SGS has announced the receipt of approval from Belgium’s Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP) to begin a new clinical trial of a potential treatment for patients with COVID-19 related respiratory failure.

The European Commission has approved Lynparza (olaparib) for use in patients with germline BRCA-mutated (gBRCAm) metastatic pancreatic cancer within the European Union.

The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and Healthcare (EDQM) has published a new general chapter (2.6.32) in the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) supplement 10.3.

As a result of disruptions caused by COVID-19, CPhI Worldwide 2020 in-person event will not be taking place in Milan, Italy, but instead will be a unique digital experience to connect the global pharma industry.

The guidance document provides recommendations regarding data needed for the manufacturing, development, and approval of a COVID-19 vaccine.

FDA is placing emphasis on developing guidance documents more quickly and efficiently, and agency officials expect that such approaches may continue in the future.