[Updated May 21, 2024.] 2023 may not go down as the brightest year for the pharma sector, but the entry of Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic (semaglutide) into the ranks of top-selling drugs like Keytruda, Dupixent, and Eliquis signals a new era in the treatment of metabolic disease. Novo Nordisk’s sales jumped by more than one-third in…
Decoding Bayer’s digital health leap and its implications on drug discovery and personalized medicine
The German multinational pharma and biotech colossus Bayer is taking further steps to ramp up its focus on digital health by launching a new business unit. In 2022, Bayer invested $9.5 million in Woebot Health, an AI-powered behavioral health platform company. In 2020, it launched a venture known as G4A Digital Health Partnership Program to…
The 50 best-selling pharmaceuticals of 2022: COVID-19 vaccines poised to take a step back
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the best-selling pharmaceuticals, leading to shifts in the list with Pfizer and BioNTech’s Comirnaty surpassing AbbVie’s Humira for the No. 1 spot in 2021. That momentum continued in 2022, with Pfizer and BioNTech jointly raking in $59.1 billion in revenue from the sales of the COVID-19…
The top 100 cell and gene therapy companies to watch in 2023
The cell and gene therapy sector is poised to deliver a wave of new therapies with the potential to cure rare and common diseases. As many as 13 new cell or gene therapies could be approved for use in the U.S., Europe, or both by the end of 2023. While manufacturing and regulatory challenges remain,…
FDA grants priority review of aflibercept in retinopathy of prematurity
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:REGN) has announced that the FDA has granted Priority Review of the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for Eylea (aflibercept) Injection to treat retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in preterm infants. First approved in 2011 to treat wet age-related macular degeneration, aflibercept is a blockbuster drug. Last year, it generated $9.2 billion for Regeneron…
15 of the best pharma companies to work for
The pharmaceutical industry continues to see strong growth and is poised to have a compound annual growth rate of 13.7% from 2020 to 2027, according to projections from Grand View Research. The best pharma companies to work for continue to offer a number of advantages to skilled workers. Pharma positions remain in high demand, and…
50 of 2021’s best-selling pharmaceuticals
Drug sales in 2021 hit record heights, with a handful of pharmaceutical companies handsomely rewarded for creating COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. This roundup of best-selling pharmaceuticals in 2021 highlighted a banner year for the industry. Pfizer alone raked in $36.9 billion in sales from the Comirnaty vaccine it developed jointly with BioNTech. Demand for the…
J&J and Roche named to Clarivate’s Top 100 Global Innovators list
Few healthcare companies were included in the annual ranking of innovative companies from the analytics firm Clarivate plc (NYSE:CLVT). Two companies in pharma and another in medtech, however, made the cut. Johnson & Johnson was featured for the second consecutive year as a top 100 Global innovator. Roche was included for the 11th consecutive year…
Bayer abandons plans to produce first-generation CureVac vaccine
Bayer (ETR:BAYN) had planned to retool a facility in Wuppertal, Germany, to produce CureVac’s (NSDQ:CVAC) COVID-19 vaccine. But Leverkusen, Germany–headquartered Bayer has put those plans on ice, according to the German paper Leverkusener Anzeiger. Bayer had planned on producing 160 million doses of the vaccine annually. In June, CureVac reported that its COVID-19 vaccine was 48% efficacious…
34 of the most innovative pharmaceutical products
The Galien Foundation has revealed its latest nominees for the 2021 Prix Galien USA Award highlighting innovations in biotechnology, pharmaceutical agents, medical technology and digital health products. Entrants to the competition must have received FDA approval within the past five years and demonstrate exceptional therapeutic potential. The Galien Foundation does not use financial data to…
VITRAKVI is FDA-indicated to treat solid tumors
Bayer‘s Vitrakvi is a kinase inhibitor that is FDA indicated to treat adult and pediatric patients with solid tumors. Specifically, FDA indicates it for solid tumors with the following criteria: Presence of a neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase (NTRK) gene fusion without a known acquired resistance mutation. Metastatic or where surgical resection is likely to result in severe morbidity.…
Nubeqa offers promise to prostate cancer patients
FDA indicates Nubeqa (darolutamide) to treat patients with non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Bayer and Orion Corp. jointly developed the drug, which FDA approved in 2019. The approval came after FDA reviewed results from the Phase 3 ARAMIS study, which tested Nubeqa with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in patients with prostate cancer. The drug has continued to…
Bayer moves forward with cell and gene therapies for Parkinson’s disease
Bayer announced today that its BlueRock Therapeutics subsidiary successfully administered the first dose of its Parkinson’s disease therapies. Berlin-based Bayer said in a news release that BlueRock successfully administered the dose of its investigational pluripotent stem cell-derived dopaminergic neruons, called DA01, to a Parkinson’s disease patient in an open-label Phase 1 clinical safety and tolerability…
Bayer to acquire AskBio for up to $4B
Bayer (FRA: BAYN) announced today that it will acquire gene therapy startup AskBio for an upfront payment of $2 billion. The German life sciences giant could shell out an additional $2 billion if the startup meets specific criteria. Rather than folding AskBio’s operations into its own, Bayer stressed in a statement that the startup would operate independently…
The most innovative pharmaceutical agents of 2020
The Galien Foundation recently announced nominees for most innovative pharmaceutical agents for its 14th Annual Prix Galien USA Awards. The foundation bestows the Prix Galien Award annually to examples of outstanding biomedical, pharmaceutical drugs and medical technology products that are designed to improve the human condition. “As we celebrate 50 years of the Prix Galien…
Bayer, Nuvisan to create drug discovery research unit in Berlin
Bayer (ETR:BAYN) announced that it entered into a definitive agreement to transfer some of its small molecule research unit to Nuvisan for an undisclosed amount. The agreement is slated to lay a foundation for Nuvisan to establish the Berlin-based research unit and support Bayer’s focus on the flexibility and productivity of its research & development operating…
Bayer and Exscientia partner to bring AI to drug discovery
Bayer (ETR:BAYN) announced that it is entering into a collaboration agreement with artificial intelligence drug discovery company Exscientia to identify and optimize novel lead structures for potential drug candidates in treating cardiovascular and oncological diseases. The agreement, announced earlier this month, is slated to see the companies work together on early research projects combining Exscientia’s proprietary…