As Amgen seeks to can Aimovig collaboration, Novartis sues to save the deal

Amgen | April 04, 2019

Novartis and Amgen were the first to tap into a hot market with their CGRP migraine prevention med Aimovig, but dueling lawsuits outline a serious division in the collaboration. Amgen is trying to cut the partnership less than a year into the drug’s launch, while Novartis has sued to save the deal. Novartis on Thursday sued Amgen in Manhattan federal court for trying to inappropriately back out of their collaboration. Amgen originally had rights to the drug, but Novartis in 2015 partnered on the med and has since spent $870 million on development and commercialization, the suit says. Amgen, for its part, sued back. The company says Novartis breached the agreement by helping bring a potential competitor to market. Novartis' Sandoz unit has teamed with Alder BioPharmaceuticals on a potential rival, Amgen says, so it moved to terminate the agreement.

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Sharps Technology (NASDAQ: STSS) is a medical device and pharmaceutical packaging company specializing in the development and manufacturing of innovative drug delivery systems.

Spotlight

Sharps Technology (NASDAQ: STSS) is a medical device and pharmaceutical packaging company specializing in the development and manufacturing of innovative drug delivery systems.

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BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMA TECH

Specialty Pharma Expert Adopts Name of Global Parent to Reflect Breadth of Offer That Brings a Rare and Special Perspective to the Market

Businesswire | April 26, 2023

Global healthcare and business consulting services provider, Terebellum, has chosen to adopt the name of its global parent, AscellaHealth, to reflect the scale of its operations and breadth of expertise. The business specialises in providing end-to-end solutions to pharmaceutical manufacturers and other industry stakeholders to streamline product commercialisation, improve medication access, reduce costs and enhance patient outcomes for specialty and rare disease patients. Based in Dublin, Ireland and Manchester, UK, former Terebellum provides pre-commercialisation and market access support, supply chain logistics, distribution and fulfilment and unique pharmaceutical financial services to UK and European pharmaceutical manufacturers and healthcare organisations. Adopting the brand name of its parent company, AscellaHealth, will enable the specialty pharma expert to demonstrate its full range of expertise, international insight and distinctiveness of offer. Upon Terebellum’s transition to the AscellaHealth brand identity in its market-facing activities, the company will continue to maintain current business operations, client relationships and dedication to patient-centric care. Craig Caceci, Managing Director at AscellaHealth EU/UK, said: “It’s our strong belief that to optimise outcomes in specialty healthcare a specialised approach is needed, due to the specific challenges associated with rare conditions. “The AscellaHealth name provides an opportunity to highlight how we are perfectly positioned to offer uniquely tailored solutions across the globe to ensure streamlined medication access and the best possible treatment journey for rare and orphan disease patients.” In a recent customer survey carried out by AscellaHealth, 100 percent of respondents agreed that the organisation presents unique value in the market and is uniquely qualified to address their needs. Craig adds: “Supporting patients, life science manufacturers, payers and providers, we bring expertise and care to every requirement to develop and implement novel approaches that ensure patients with rare diseases can get the treatment they need, when they need it most. “Our new brand tagline, ‘a rare and special perspective’, captures our dedication to applying knowledge and expertise to improve health outcomes of rare disease and specialty patients, perfectly.” AscellaHealth, co-founded by Dea Belazi, President & CEO and Bill Oldham, Chairman & CFO in 2013, employs nearly 200 employees worldwide to provide integrated end-to-end solutions that span the entire pharmaceutical lifecycle and beyond, supporting all segments of the specialty pharma industry. Former Terebellum joins US-based pharmacy distribution and patient-management organisation, Optime Care, in adopting the name of parent AscellaHealth, to form one globally-recognised brand for specialty pharma expertise. About AscellaHealth LLC AscellaHealth, a global Healthcare & Specialty Pharmacy solutions organisation, serving patients, life sciences manufacturers, payers, and providers, offers a comprehensive portfolio of uniquely tailored, tech-enabled services supporting complex, chronic conditions or rare diseases that require specialty medications and/or cell and gene therapies. A recipient of numerous industry awards for innovation, and a NASP Strategic Channel Partner of the Year award winner, AscellaHealth’s best-in-class, patient-centric approach is built upon proprietary technology processes for novel programs and services to support the launch of specialty medications and proactively address multiple challenges, optimise clinical health outcomes, and improve quality of life for this patient population. AscellaHealth brings a rare and special perspective to all stakeholders.

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BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMACY MARKET

Accord Healthcare Expands Offerings with Generic Relapsing MS Drug

Accord Healthcare | March 14, 2023

On March 13, 2023, Accord Healthcare informed that it has expanded its portfolio with Teriflunomide, a film-coated tablet equivalent to Sanofi Genzyme's Aubagio. The drug treats relapsing forms of MS in adults, including clinically-isolated syndrome and active secondary progressive disease. The company offers Teriflunomide in 14 mg and 7 mg tablets, now available for shipping. Teriflunomide has been granted FDA approval as an immunomodulatory agent for patients aged 18 and above. Its purpose is to reduce the frequency and severity of relapses, which can lead to new or worsening neurological symptoms associated with the disease. Accord Healthcare US Vice President of Sales Jim Brown stated, "We're proud to add Teriflunomide to our portfolio. This is an important oral therapy for the millions of patients living with relapsing MS." He added, "Generic medicine allows broad access to effective therapy, to help improve disease course and potentially slow progression of MS." (Source – Cision PR newswire) Teriflunomide is an immunomodulatory medication that inhibits an enzyme critical to a metabolic pathway that supports lymphocyte proliferation. This results in fewer activated lymphocytes, which minimizes inflammation and immunological reactivity, resulting in lower recurrence rates and protection of brain volume against inflammatory nerve cell attacks. Around 2.8 million people globally have multiple sclerosis, with the majority diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS that typically begins in their twenties or thirties. Diagnosis involves experiencing two or more attacks or relapses while maintaining stability. New or exacerbated symptoms characterize relapses, and the immune system attacks the myelin sheath surrounding nerve fibers, ultimately causing long-term damage. Symptoms include numbness, fatigue, double vision, and balance problems. Besides, relapsing-remitting MS can also progress to active secondary progressive disease. About Accord Healthcare Accord Healthcare, a subsidiary of Intas Pharmaceuticals, is recognized as a prominent player in the generic pharmaceutical industry. The company's vision is to enhance patient access to medicines and revolutionize the pharmaceutical experience for healthcare providers and patients. With an emphasis on advanced manufacturing technology and in-house research, Accord Healthcare delivers a wide range of affordable, complex, and essential medicines. The company's dedication to forward-thinking and innovative solutions remains at the core of its mission. Headquartered in Durham (North Carolina), its products are marketed in 80 countries through the Intas network.

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PHARMA TECH

XtalPi Announces Collaboration with Lilly, Using AI + Robotics to Uncover First-in-class Therapeutics

PRNewswire | May 31, 2023

Today, XtalPi Inc., a pioneering pharmaceutical technology company powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, announced an AI drug discovery collaboration of up to $250 million in upfront and milestone payments with Eli Lilly and Company. The collaboration will leverage XtalPi's integrated AI capabilities and robotics platform to de novo design and deliver drug candidates for an undisclosed target. XtalPi has established itself as an industry leader in combining mutually informative AI "dry lab" algorithms with large-scale "wet lab" robotics to empower pharmaceutical innovation. Building upon existing success, XtalPi will work closely with the Lilly team to harness the power of its proven one-stop AI drug discovery solution to deliver a novel compound, which Lilly will pursue in clinical and commercial development. XtalPi's ID4Inno™ small-molecule drug discovery platform touts a tightly interwoven trifecta of AI, autonomous labs, and expert domain knowledge that can generate and investigate a target-specific mega chemical space and quickly zero in on the most promising lead series. Each group of synthesized molecules is tested using XtalPi's internal biochemical, cellular, pharmacodynamic, and pharmacokinetic assay capabilities, feeding project-specific R&D data into generative AI models in iterative design-make-test-analyze cycles until a candidate with optimal drug properties emerges. XtalPi's fleet of hundreds of autonomous robotic workstations can carry out precise and energy-efficient parallel chemical synthesis and assays 24/7. This high-quality real-world data generated with speed and at scale, combined with over 500 AI models and quantum physics algorithms, continuously enhance XtalPi's capability to predict and authenticate novel drug candidates with greatly accelerated timeframes and reduced experimental costs. XtalPi's AI + robotics platform is supercharging the shift of pharmaceutical R&D from labor-intensive trial-and-error research to a computation and automation-intensive model, empowering scientists to achieve more with less. Serving over 200 pharmaceutical clients and research institutions from around the world, XtalPi is now bringing its proprietary autonomous lab to Cambridge, MA as its drug discovery business continues to grow. Dr. Jian Ma, CEO of XtalPi, says, "With a closed loop of AI and quantum physics algorithms working in sync with the data factory of large-scale robotics experiments, XtalPi is uniquely equipped to tackle challenging novel targets. We are honored that Lilly has chosen XtalPi's AI + robotics drug R&D platform as a partner in achieving more fruitful pharmaceutical innovation and bringing much-needed treatments to patients worldwide." About XtalPi XtalPi is a pharmaceutical technology company powered by AI and robotics to improve the speed, scale, novelty, and success rate of drug discovery and development. With operations in both China and the U.S., XtalPi has pioneered a new model for drug R&D that leverages a tightly interwoven trifecta of AI, autonomous labs, and expert domain knowledge. Its integrated AI "dry lab" and large-scale robotics "wet lab" capabilities form an iterative feedback loop that empowers continuous innovation to address the unmet needs of patients worldwide.

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