Clinical research - Today Stories

Supporting the NHS on its decade-long journey towards an integrated health and care system, as well as delivering extra investment for new buildings and infrastructure, social care and addressing major gaps in NHS staffing, should be at the top of the new Prime Minister’s priority list. That is the call today from the NHS Confederation in a letter and briefing to the Prime Minister. The NHS Confederation, which represents organisations across the healthcare sector, says there is much ‘unfinished business’ for the new government to resolve in the health and care sector. The letter warns the Prime Minister that the question of NHS funding is not yet settled, despite the £20.5bn funding settlement that kicked in from April this year. The settlement excluded some vital areas of expenditure tha…

GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) today announced that Jonathan Symonds will succeed Sir Philip Hampton as Non-Executive Chairman of the GSK Board with effect from 1st September 2019. Jonathan is currently Deputy Group Chairman of HSBC Holdings plc and has been an independent non-executive Director of HSBC since April 2014. He is a former Chief Financial Officer of Novartis AG and AstraZeneca plc, and has been a non-executive Director of Diageo plc and QinetiQ plc. He is currently non-executive Chairman of Proteus Digital Health Inc, a non-executive director of Rubius Therapeutics Inc and Chairman of Genomics England Limited. The appointment was approved by the Board and follows a thorough succession process undertaken by the Nominations Committee, led by Vindi Banga, the company’s Senior Independ…

NEW YORK, July 22, 2019 (Newswire.com) - ​​​​​InvestAcure, PBC, honored 10 leading bioindustry scientists with the Cure Coin Award for their outstanding work developing groundbreaking scientific discoveries into lifesaving therapeutics for Alzheimer's, CTE and other related Dementias. The award reception took place on July 15, during the 2019 Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Los Angeles.  "The Cure Coin Award aims to bring public attention to the vital work of leading industry scientists developing lifesaving treatments," said Max Tokarsky, the founder and CEO of InvestAcure, a Public Benefit, Finance company building a spare-change investment platform to facilitate public investment in companies working on developing effective therapeutics for Alzheimer’s.  While govern…

Converse Pharma Group is primed for national expansion after securing a £60m combined facility from Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Secure Trust Bank Commercial Finance. Founded in 2013, the firm is a national pharmaceutical wholesaler, providing a comprehensive range of prescription drugs to over 5,500 independent pharmacies across the UK and Ireland. Operating from bases in Doncaster and Prudhoe, Converse Pharma Group currently employs 980 members of staff across its 12 sites in the UK and Ireland. Its 140 strong sales team has helped revenues increase sharply in recent years, having achieved sales of £250m in 2018 – up from £188m the previous year. The funding provided by RBS and Secure Trust Bank will enable the company to invest in new, larger depots, increasing the depth and range o…

Scientists at the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Oxford have shown that small RNA molecules occurring naturally in cells, i.e. microRNAs, are also abundant in cell nuclei. Previously, microRNAs were mainly thought to be found in cytoplasm. The scientists also discovered that microRNA concentrations in cell nuclei change as a result of hypoxia. The findings strongly suggest that microRNAs play a role in the expression of genes in the cell nucleus. This observation is crucial for the development of novel gene therapy, among other things. The study was published in Scientific Reports today. The scientists profiled the division of microRNAs in different parts of endothelial cells, discovering that a large share of microRNAs are enriched in cell nuclei. When the scientists…

Today, Galapagos announces transformational multi-billion dollar collaboration with Gilead to create a global R&D leader based in Europe, developing and commercialising breakthrough therapies to patients. Please see the press releases https://www.glpg.com/press-releases Multi-billion dollar collaboration is one of the largest ever biotech deals in Europe - $3.95 billion upfront payment, a $1.1bn equity investment by GILD, $1.1bn additional opt-in payments for two late stage products, as well as additional milestones to access early pipeline assets, and double digit royalties. Creates a global R&D leader - Collaboration will accelerate GLPG’s vision to become a top 10 global biotech company and establish global leadership in inflammation & immunology. GLPG’s enhanced financial…

Novartis, Amgen and Banner Alzheimer's Institute today announced the decision to discontinue investigation of the BACE1 inhibitor CNP520 (umibecestat) in two pivotal Phase II/III studies in the Alzheimer's Prevention Initiative Generation Program. An assessment of unblinded data during a regular pre-planned review identified worsening in some measures of cognitive function. Given these findings, the sponsors concluded that the potential benefit for participants in the studies did not outweigh the risk. John Tsai (M.D.), Head of Global Drug Development and Chief Medical Officer, said: "Novartis has a strong research focus and commitment to patients. As researchers we have to accept today's disappointing news as part of the search for innovative new treatments. We remain committed to advanci…

Commenting on the government response to the Promoting professionalism, reforming regulation consultation, Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, said: “Employees and employers will welcome steps to make the fitness to practise process quicker, fairer and effective; they will also look forward to further reform, which will allow the regulation of new roles and professions to support their full deployment to care for our patients.”

The Government will announce further details for how they will support pharmaceutical companies’ investments in the development of drugs that will treat AMR infections. The NHS will test a first-of-its-kind ‘subscription-style’ payment model that will help incentivise companies to develop new drugs needed to tackle resistant infections. The ABPI welcomes further detail on the Government’s approach. Dr Sheuli Porkess, Executive Director of Research, Medical and Innovation at the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), said:“Increased resistance to antibiotics is one of the greatest threats to global health we face. “Today’s announcement is an example of how the UK can lead the world in this fight and hopefully brings us closer to fixing the problems that have hampered inv…

On June 25, 2019, AbbVie Inc. and Allergan announced that the companies have entered into a definitive transaction agreement under which AbbVie will acquire Allergan in a cash and stock transaction for a transaction equity value of approximately $63 billion, based on the closing price of AbbVie's common stock of $78.45 on June 24, 2019. Strategic Rationale: New growth platforms and leadership positions to diversify and expand revenue base: The combined company will consist of several attractive franchises with leadership positions across immunology, hematologic oncology, medical aesthetics, neuroscience, women's health, eye care and virology.  Allergan's product portfolio will be enhanced by AbbVie's commercial strength, expertise and international infrastructure. Immediate scale and en…

Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) have announced that a Phase 2 proof-of-concept trial evaluating the investigational IL-33 antibody REGN3500 (SAR440340) met the primary endpoint of improvement in loss of asthma control when comparing REGN3500 monotherapy to placebo. The trial also met a key secondary endpoint, demonstrating REGN3500 monotherapy significantly improved lung function compared to placebo.  In the trial, the greatest improvement was observed in patients with blood eosinophil levels ≥300 cells/microliter. Patients treated with Dupixent® (dupilumab)  monotherapy did numerically better than REGN3500 across all endpoints, although the trial was not powered to show differences between active treatment arms. The combination of REGN3500 and Dupixent also did n…

A prestigious competition that has helped innovators raise millions of pounds to take their concepts to the global marketplace is looking for 2019’s most life-changing creations. The Royal Society of Chemistry’s Emerging Technologies Competition has helped winners raise more than £32million in funding since it was launched in 2013. Backed by some of the world’s biggest companies, such as Unilever, Croda, Johnson Matthey, RSSL and Pfizer, entries are now open until 5 July for the next big success story whose mastery of the chemical sciences helped create a product that can deliver a real-world benefit for wider society. Aurora Antemir, a senior manager in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Industry team said: “In less than a decade, the Emerging Technologies Competition has gone from being an…

Neuraxpharm Group, a leading European specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders, announces it will soon launch its first probiotic[1] in the European market following an exclusive licensing agreement with the probiotics company Bened Biomedical Co., Ltd. Bened Biomedical, an award winning 2015 spin-out from Taiwan-based National Yang-Ming University, develops functional probiotic strains that can alter human microbiome. The agreement secures Neuraxpharm exclusive rights to market its first probiotic, PS128™, in the European market. This is Neuraxpharm’s first launch of a probiotic product expanding the Company’s portfolio of marketed Consumer Healthcare products. This is in line with its ambition of covering CNS therapeutics from pr…

Greater Manchester is hosting an interactive event to kick-start a new campaign to get patients, carers and the public involved in clinical research. Be Part of Research is the new nationwide initiative from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), supported by NHS trusts across the country. A local launch is being hosted by the NIHR Clinical Research Network in Greater Manchester at Citylabs, Nelson Street, Manchester, on Friday 24 May, 10.30am to 2.30pm. Everyone is welcome to attend. But anyone who can’t make it can still get involved – by making a simple pledge to show their support for health and care research.* The event is an opportunity for patients, carers and the public to speak to healthcare professionals about research and see how they can get involved to help improve…

The development of the UK’s first dedicated Vaccines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (VMIC) has moved a step closer with the contract to design an advanced array of laboratory and production facilities within a ‘cleanroom wrap’ environment being awarded to WHP. The multi-disciplinary engineering company has won the design work as part of plans for the specification of versatile new cGMP suites and filling rooms for the VMIC, which is being built in the Oxford area. These units will have the capacity to meet Department of Health and Social Care requirements concerning the provision of vaccines in an infectious disease emergency. The centre, which has secured £66m of funding from UK Research and Innovation, is being developed through the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (IS…

Elucid mHealth has developed a smart pill dispensing solution called Pill Connect which will allow both trial investigators and doctors to effectively monitor medication adherence, either in clinical trials or in the community. Elucid is already in discussions with several top tier Pharmas, CROs, CMOs, and the NHS all of whom all keen to find effective ways to monitor patient adherence. The first clinical trial undertaken by a global CRO with healthy people has just been concluded. The trial showed that the system worked very well. How the system works Preparation - A patient has an app loaded onto their mobile phone (iPhone or android) which contains the pill regime – eg twice a day. Is trained how to use the app – 20 minutes - and given a Pill Connect bottle loaded with pills Patient us…

Frimley, UK, May 8, 2019 – Novartis today announced a new subgroup analysis of the Phase III EXPAND study of oral, once-daily siponimod (BAF312) in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). The results show siponimod, the first and only oral drug to delay disability progression in SPMS patients, has significant functional benefit on cognitive processing speed (CPS), the cognitive function most frequently affected by MSi,ii,[iv]. The new findings, presented at the 2019 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting (AAN) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, show that patients treated earlier in their disease course with less cognitive impairment benefited most from siponimod treatment vs. placeboi. This suggests that earlier treatment can lead to better cognitive outcomes,…

Cambridge, 29th April 2019: The Xaar 1201 printhead is proving instrumental in helping Nottingham-based research organisation, Added Scientific, establish the suitability of inkjet printing in the manufacture of personalised pharmaceutical pills, where dosages could be tailored to individuals on an industrial scale. Building on research conducted by the University of Nottingham, where excipients (everything but the active pharmaceutical ingredient [API]) have been developed, Added Scientific initiated a project with its collaborators Xaar and AstraZeneca to look at the long-term scalability and suitability of inkjet printing in dispensing APIs. The project was funded under the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund’s Medicines Manufacturing Challenge, with support from Innovate UK. “Inkjet pri…

London, UK – 23 April 2019: Ergomed plc, (LSE: ERGO) ('Ergomed' or the 'Company'), a company focused on providing specialised services to the pharmaceutical industry, today announces that PrimeVigilance, its pharmacovigilance, regulatory and medical information service provider, has been awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for the second time reinforcing Ergomed’s broad leadership position as a provider of contract services. Now in its 53rd year, the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious business awards in the country. Ergomed’s PrimeVigilance has received the 2019 Queen’s Award for International Trade in recognition of its year-on-year outstanding services in the drug safety sector for its global customer base. As an International Trade winner, PrimeVigilance has dem…

Berkshire based PharmiWeb are excited to have launched a new version of of PharmiWeb.com - The new site, focusing on News, Events and Articles from the Pharma sector, brings together a wide range of content from multiple sources, to make the site an even better resource for the Pharma Industry.  Pharma Jobs  The hugely popular Job Board has moved to a new URL - PharmiWeb.Jobs. This means that for individuals looking for a the latest jobs in the pharma industry, PharmiWeb's new job board will the only place they need to go!  According to Portal Business Manager, Mike Wood - "This is the start of a very exciting growth stage for PharmiWeb, and we have a wide ranging plan of developments for the portal which will reinforce our position as one of the primary sources of global Pharma news. Our…