Industry news

11 December 2015

Epic Sciences Enters into 35th Pharma Collaboration to Advance Companion Diagnostics for New Targeted Therapeutics

Epic Sciences, a private biotech company that develops novel diagnostics to personalize and advance the treatment and management of cancer, announced today that it has signed its 35th collaboration agreement with pharmaceutical companies. These collaborations use the Epic Sciences circulating tumor cell (CTC) platform to observationally monitor changes in the composition of CTCs during the course of clinical trials. In addition, CTCs identified are characterized by a range of genomic and proteomic markers.  These CTC profiles can then be used to generate signatures that can be the basis of companion diagnostics that match the right patients to the right therapies.

Pharma Companies Join the American Business Act on Climate Pledge

BioPharm International

An additional 73 companies, including the bio/pharma companies Patheon, Biogen, Johnson & Johnson, Genentech, and Novartis, have signed the American Business Act on Climate Pledge, the White House announced on Nov. 30, 2015. The pledge was originally launched in July 2015, and a total of 154 companies have now pledged their support.

Pharma ad budgets stay flat, even as spending jumps across the board: Report

Emily Wasserman / FiercePharmaMarketing

Ad budgets are set to expand next year, with industry watchers predicting a 3% to 5% jump in spending for 2016, according to a new report from media investment group GroupM cited by MediaPost.

Express Scripts to FDA: Hold Off on Biosimilar Naming Decisions for Now

Randi Hernandez / BioPharm International

While some industry trade groups are gunning for distinct, nonproprietary names for biosimilars (mostly providers, brand manufacturers, and patient advocacy groups), and others for common names (mostly biosimilar manufacturers, insurers, pharmacies, and the Federal Trade Commission [FTC]), some are requesting that no decisions be made at all at this stage in the game. Express Scripts, a large pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), submitted a comment to FDA asking that the regulatory agency hold off on naming decisions until it releases formal guidance on interchangeability first.

American startups succeed with Russian money

Victoria Zavyalova, Dmitry Falaleev / Russia Beyond the Headlines

Silicon Valley attracts money from around the world. You probably didn't know, but rather large sums come from Russia. Here are five American startups that are thriving thanks to Russian investment.

Record $4.1B of Series A capital invested in healthcare in 2015

Kyle Stanford / PitchBook Blog

Healthcare has become a more and more enticing target for venture capital over the past few years, even attracting VC heavyweights that hadn't been active within the space in the past. For example, Andreessen Horowitz recently launched a $200 million fund focusing on the intersection of biotechnology and computer science. Healthcare exit data may provide a window into why investment has been so strong.

With Paris spotlight on climate change, here's how Big Pharma stacks up

Beth Snyder Bulik / FiercePharmaMarketing

As the Paris COP21 climate change conference rolls on this week, nations and governments are looking to industry to do its part. While pharma may not have the carbon footprint of energy or heavy manufacturing, it has other connections to environment and climate issues. The way climate change will affect public health, for instance, is a growing topic in global "green" pharma discussions, as is prescription drug pollution in the environment.

EMA Publishes Medication Error Good Practice Guide

BioPharm International

The European Medicines Agency announced on Nov. 27, 2015 the publication of a good practice guide on medication errors and the launch of a webpage that hosts recommended measures for the prevention of medication errors for specific medicines. The guide was created “to improve the reporting, evaluation and prevention of medication errors by regulatory authorities and pharmaceutical industry throughout the European Union.” 

Smarter regulation can help cut drug prices, says EU agency head

Ben Hirschler / Reuters

Europe's top drug regulator weighed into the medicine pricing debate on Wednesday, arguing a smarter and faster pharmaceutical approval system was needed to help rein in the spiraling cost of new treatments.

Outlook for early 2016 in Asia sees headwinds for Japan, India and Thailand

EJ Lane / FeircePharmaAsia

Three of Asia's major economies are expected not to do so well in the first quarter of next year, primarily because of lapses in certain important healthcare sectors affecting drugmaking, according to the latest reports from MarketResearch. Countries considered emerging markets are set to reap the rewards of their negative positions.