Quantum computing — described by pop astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson as “computing with atoms” — is an emerging technology with a potential for immense computational speed and power. For some problems, quantum computers can be exponentially faster than classical computers, while for others the speedup may be more measured. The promise for drug discovery could…

Pharmaceutical companies are running into pushback for their “patent thicket” tactics, designed to maintain exclusive rights and delay cheaper generics. The Financial Times reported that an ethical investor coalition is pushing for greater transparency and urging major drug makers to disclose their patent strategies. Unraveling the patent thicket mystery Patent thickets are a common intellectual property…

Several companies, including GSK, Janssen, Novartis and Pfizer, have announced that they are cutting their pipelines as they release their full-year 2022 financial results. The following are the drugs removed from these companies’ pipelines. Bristol Myers Squibb Anti-CTLA-4 NF: The oncology monoclonal antibody candidate directed against the human T-cell receptor cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) known as BMS-986218 was…

Big Pharma’s ability to innovate has grown in recent years, and the industry’s increasing reliance on data could help it sustain momentum in the future. While McKinsey notes that the industry has been relatively slow in adopting technologies such as AI and automation, the industry is growing more tech-savvy. “The acceptance of data is picking up across…

While Big Pharma has yet to embrace psychedelics as potential treatments for depression and other psychiatric disorders, interest in psychedelic medicine is building.  Earlier this month, Nature Medicine published a Phase 3 study indicating that psychotherapy assisted with methyl​enedioxy​methamphetamine (MDMA) was a more effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than therapy alone. The study authors concluded…

Intelligence Squared, the organizers of a popular debate series, recently asked a panel of experts whether psychedelics should be legalized. There was considerable overlap between the factions arguing in favor and opposition of that motion, reflecting the growing interest in psychedelic compounds for therapeutic applications. But the two camps were split when it came to…