Accidental court filing reveals Novartis' kickback settlement talks: report

fiercepharma | June 12, 2019

After six years of legal wrangling and unflattering headlines, Novartis appears close to putting a doctor kickback lawsuit behind it—and the revelation came from a court filing that was supposed to be kept secret. The whistleblower suit against Novartis, joined by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2013, claimed the drugmaker used sham educational events as cover for kickbacks to doctors. In exchange for fancy dinners, fishing trips and other entertainment, Novartis was basically buying prescriptions for its cardiovascular meds Lotrel and Valturna and diabetes drug Starlix, the suit claims. The company reportedly has been negotiating a settlement worth up to $1 billion, which would rank it among the biggest-ever marketing settlements in pharma. Tuesday, a letter filed in the court’s docket and then quickly removed said the two sides had made “significant progress” toward a settlement, Bloomberg reported. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman intended for the letter to stay confidential as the talks are ongoing, but it was mistakenly posted publicly for a short time, the news service noted. The letter showed a settlement proposal has been submitted to the DOJ for expedited approval. Berman said the settlement will be “substantially complete” by June 18, and the parties have until Aug. 18 to finalize it.

Spotlight

Injection systems that are attached to the patient's body (on-body delivery system OBDS) minimize possible risks, that can occur when drugs are administered by conventional needle-based injection systems (NIS). 

Spotlight

Injection systems that are attached to the patient's body (on-body delivery system OBDS) minimize possible risks, that can occur when drugs are administered by conventional needle-based injection systems (NIS). 

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Cytel Acquires French Group stève consultants to Further Expand Value Evidence and Real-World Analytics Capabilities

Businesswire | July 07, 2023

Cytel Inc., provider of quantitative insights and health data analytics to leaders in life sciences, has acquired stève consultants, specialists in market access, real-world (RWE), and health economics and outcomes research (HEOR). The acquisition further expands Cytel’s real-world & advanced analytics (RWAA) capabilities, giving sponsors an expanded global offering, with access to additional specialists and localized expertise. This acquisition continues the company’s growth in key European markets, following the recent acquisition of Nordic regulatory affairs and RWE experts SDS Life Science. Cytel now stands as one of the largest global providers of HEOR, RWE, global value strategy and market access consulting. Achieving favorable market access is crucial in today’s highly competitive clinical development environment. But doing so is challenging and requires access to deep region-specific expertise. Cytel has long excelled at using proven quantitative techniques to transform real-world data into actionable insights to help sponsors successfully tap into new markets. The acquisition of stève consultants continues this journey, augmenting and extending the localized market access, product launch, and regulatory support it can offer in France, a critical European market. "stève consultants have crafted a team of unparalleled know-how in regional market access, HEOR, and RWE,” said Radek Wasiak, General Manager, Real-World and Advanced Analytics (RWAA), Cytel. “We look forward to welcoming them to Cytel as together we can now provide an exceptional service at the local level in France but also plug into the global dossier needs of our clients. For sponsors, this means a more global strategic offering, deeper connectivity to world-class expertise in France, and greater product launch success.” stève consultants has spent 17 years optimizing the value of its customers’ healthcare products for the French market, with deep expertise in market access, HEOR, and RWE. stève consultants is a leader in market access and one of the largest and most accomplished RWE services providers in France. “Joining forces with Cytel further expands the insight and support we can offer for market access and market maintenance in France,” said Stève Bénard, Executive Manager, stève consultants. “Both companies share a pioneering spirit, long-held market reputations for scientific rigor, and an excellent client service ethos. We’re proud to play a critical role in augmenting the way sponsors tap into markets and transform patients’ lives.” The transaction was closed on June 30, 2023. Terms were not disclosed. About Cytel Cytel is the largest provider of statistical software and advanced analytics for clinical trial design and execution. For over thirty-five years, Cytel’s scientific rigor and operational excellence have enabled biotech and pharmaceutical companies to navigate uncertainty, prove value and make confident, evidence-based decisions. Its experts deliver industry-leading software, data-driven analytics, real-world evidence and strategic consulting. Headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, Cytel has more than 2,000 employees across North America, Europe and Asia. About stève consultants stève consultants, founded in 2006, is a consulting and research company specializing in optimizing the value of healthcare products on the French market. stève consultants supports its biotech and pharmaceutical clients in the development and the implementation of their regional market access strategy, including the implementation of early access programs, the demonstration of health-economic value, the generation of real-life data and the writing of HTA dossiers. stève consultants is a leader in market access, and one of the most accomplished RWE service providers in France. stève consultants has extensive experience and works on the latest therapeutic innovations.

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Pharmacy Market

Everest Medicines Announces Commercial Launch and First Prescription for XERAVA® in China

PRNewswire | July 27, 2023

Everest Medicines a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of innovative medicines and vaccines, announced today XERAVA® (eravacycline) has been successfully launched in China with its first prescription issued at Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University. The commercialization of XERAVA® in China marks Everest's transformation into a commercial-stage innovative biopharmaceutical company. XERAVA® is the world's first fluorocycline antibiotic for the treatment of infections caused by susceptible gram positive, gram negative and anaerobic pathogens including multidrug resistant ("MDR") isolates. It was approved by the National Medical Products Administration ("NMPA") of China for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections ("cIAI") in adult patients in March 2023, and has been recommended by multiple treatment guidelines in China and globally, based on its broad bacterial spectrum coverage and high potency against multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. "The commercialization of XERAVA® in China is a significant milestone for Everest as a company, as this marks the beginning of Everest as a commercial-stage biopharma company. I want to thank everyone involved in bringing XERAVA® to a successful launch," said Rogers Yongqing Luo, Chief Executive Officer of Everest Medicines. "After the commercial launch, we will accelerate patient access to XERAVA® with a lean commercial team, following a highly efficient commercial strategy. The company will continue to advance the approval and commercialization of other first-in-class or best-in-class drug candidates such as Nefecon to further address urgent unmet needs in China and the rest of Asia." "Eravacycline has broad antibacterial spectrum and high potency against common clinical multi-drug resistant bacteria such as ESBL-producing bacteria, CRE, CRAB, MRSA and VRE," said Dr. Zhu Duming, leader and chief physician of the Critical Care Department at Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated with Fudan University. "It has been recommended by authoritative guidelines at home and abroad for the treatment of MDR Gram-negative bacterial infections. The launch of eravacycline in China will help doctors tackle the challenges of clinical drug resistance." "Patients with malignant hematological diseases have a high incidence of neutropenia and fever caused by radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Antibacterial treatment is very important for patients with neutropenia and fever as MDR/Carbapenem-resistant Organism ("CRO") infections have high mortality rates," said Sun Aining, chief physician at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University. "As the world's first fluorocycline antibiotic, eravacycline has completed phase II/III clinical trials and multiple real-world studies around the world to demonstrate that it has good clinical efficacy and safety profiles. It is an innovative choice for the treatment of MDR/CRO infections." In addition to XERAVA®, Everest anticipates the launch of three additional innovative drugs in China over the next two years, including Nefecon, the first-in-disease treatment for adults with primary immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) and expected to be approved in China in the second half of this year. In the infectious disease space, Everest is actively developing other important drug candidates to meet the urgent demand for innovative antibacterial treatment. The company plans to file New Drug Application for cefepime-taniborbactam in China this year for complicated urinary tract infection. In immunology, etrasimod is a next-generation, oral selective sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulator with a differentiated efficacy and safety profiles. The company aims to submit NDA in Everest territories as soon as possible. About XERAVA® XERAVA® is a novel, fully synthetic, fluorocycline intravenous antibiotic for the treatment of infections caused by susceptible gram-positive , gram-negative and anaerobic pathogens including those multidrug resistant ("MDR") isolates. XERAVA® is currently approved for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections in the US, EU, GB, Singapore, mainland China, Hong Kong and the medicine is currently under review for cIAI in Taiwan region. XERAVA® was licensed from Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Innoviva, Inc. About Everest Medicines Everest Medicines is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing transformative pharmaceutical products and vaccines that address critical unmet medical needs for patients in Asian markets. The management team of Everest Medicines has deep expertise and an extensive track record from both leading global pharmaceutical companies and local Chinese pharmaceutical companies in high-quality discovery, clinical development, regulatory affairs, CMC, business development and operations. Everest Medicines has built a portfolio of potentially global first-in-class or best-in-class molecules in the company's core therapeutic areas of renal diseases, infectious diseases and autoimmune disorders.

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Pharmacy Market

Harrow Launches VIGAMOX® in the U.S.

Businesswire | August 01, 2023

Harrow a leading U.S. eyecare pharmaceutical company, today announced the completion of the transfer to Harrow of the New Drug Application (NDA) for VIGAMOX® (moxifloxacin hydrochloride ophthalmic solution) 0.5%, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic eye drop for the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis caused by susceptible strains of organisms. The U.S. commercial rights to VIGAMOX werepurchasedby Harrow in January of 2023, and VIGAMOX is the fourth FDA-approved ophthalmic product from that acquisition to have completed the NDA transfer process and become commercially available under the Harrow name. “Having now completed the NDA transfer of VIGAMOX, we are excited to begin the implementation of the market access, marketing, inventory management, national sales detailing, and other brand‑leveraging strategies that we have developed during this transfer period,” said Mark L. Baum, Chief Executive Officer of Harrow. “With an exceptional record of safety and efficacy, VIGAMOX is a well-known, reliable, and trusted product by U.S. eyecare professionals, many of whom regard VIGAMOX as the preferred broad-spectrum topical antibiotic to treat patients for bacterial conjunctivitis (sometimes referred to as 'pink eye') as well as many other common bacterial-based infections.” Product orders for VIGAMOX can be made directly through Harrow’s dedicated customer service ordering partner, Cardinal’s Cordlogistics, which includes a wholesaler distribution system encompassing McKesson and AmerisourceBergen. About VIGAMOX® (moxifloxacin hydrochloride ophthalmic solution) 0.5%: INDICATIONS AND USAGE VIGAMOX® is a topical fluoroquinolone anti-infective indicated for the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis caused by susceptible strains of the following organisms: Corynebacterium species*, Micrococcus luteus*, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Staphylococcus hominis, Staphylococcus warneri*, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus viridans group, Acinetobacter lwoffii*, Haemophilus influenzae, Haemophilus parainfluenzae*, and Chlamydia trachomatis. Efficacy for this organism was studied in fewer than 10 infections. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Contraindications VIGAMOX® is contraindicated in patients with a history of hypersensitivity to moxifloxacin, to other quinolones, or to any of the components in this medication. Warnings and Precautions Hypersensitivity Reactions –Hypersensitivity and anaphylaxis have been reported with systemic use of moxifloxacin. Prolonged Use –May result in overgrowth of non-susceptible organisms, including fungi. Avoid Contact Lens Wear –Patients should not wear contact lenses if they have signs or symptoms of bacterial conjunctivitis. The most frequently reported ocular adverse events were conjunctivitis, decreased visual acuity, dry eye, keratitis, ocular discomfort, ocular hyperemia, ocular pain, ocular pruritus, subconjunctival hemorrhage, and tearing. These events occurred in approximately 1%-6% of patients. Nonocular adverse events reported at a rate of 1%-4% were fever, increased cough, infection, otitis media, pharyngitis, rash, and rhinitis. About Harrow Harrow Health, Inc. is a leading eyecare pharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative ophthalmic pharmaceutical products for the U.S. market. Harrow helps U.S. eyecare professionals preserve the gift of sight by making its comprehensive portfolio of prescription and non-prescription pharmaceutical products accessible and affordable to millions of Americans each year.

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