Why did Teva ink an $85M deal to sidestep the Oklahoma opioid trial?

fiercepharma | May 28, 2019

Less than 48 hours before the first major opioid trial began, Teva struck an $85 million deal with Oklahoma officials, about one-third what painkiller giant Purdue Pharma paid to settle similar claims. That leaves Johnson & Johnson as the only remaining drugmaker facing trial Tuesday, while Teva can breathe a sigh of relief at least until a much bigger legal fight plays out this fall. Teva's $85 million settlement resolves claims that its painkillers and their marketing fed an opioid addiction crisis in Oklahoma. Together with the $270 million Purdue agreed in March, that's $355 million. Oklahoma had asked for $10 billion in damages. Teva didn't admit any wrongdoing with its settlement.The state's trial is the first among a raft of lawsuits claiming opioid makers aggressively promoted their meds, misled patients and doctors about their safety, and cost governments billions of dollars in the process. With more than 1,000 lawsuits queued up after it, analysts are watching for hints about what drugmakers might eventually pay to resolve the legal battle. The company chose to settle because it thought there "was a bad set-up in Oklahoma, a traditionally plaintiff-friendly jurisdiction," Bernstein analyst Ronny Gal wrote in a note to clients on Tuesday."Given the national media attention, Teva wanted to avoid this being their first verdict in opioid litigation," Gal added. "They believe odds will be better in other, more balanced jurisdictions."Teva's weekend news may come as a surprise to some industry watchers, given CEO Kåre Schultz’s comments on a recent conference call. Earlier this month, Schultz said plaintiff’s lawyers are focused on where they can get money in the opioid litigation. But Teva has a lot of debt and not a lot of money, so those lawyers will have “to find somebody else if they want big settlements," he said."It won’t be with us," Schultz added.And compared with Purdue's painkiller business, Teva's isn't all that significant, as Wells Fargo analyst David Maris pointed out in an investor note. "We were surprised that Teva's settlement is so large relative to the Purdue settlement, Maris wrote, adding, "Purdue marketed OxyContin and is considered to be at the center of the opioid crisis, while Teva's involvement was minor in comparison."

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A lubricant is a substance that helps to reduce friction between surfaces in mutual contact, which ultimately reduces the heat generated when the surfaces move. It may also have the function of transmitting forces,

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Neochromosome Announces Successful Collaboration with Sumitovant Biopharma

Sumitovant Biopharma, Inc. | January 20, 2023

On January 19, 2023, Neochromosome, Inc., announced a partnership with Sumitovant Biopharma, Inc., a technology-driven biopharmaceutical firm expediting the discovery and commercialization of novel therapeutics. This collaboration blends Neochromosome's neoYeast™ platform with Sumitovant's DrugOME™ computational ecosystem to identify new proteins that would benefit from non-canonical amino acid chemistries that are unavailable in nature. As part of the collaboration, Sumitovant used a combination of natural language processing (NLP), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and computational algorithms to identify opportunities for Neochromosome to enhance the discovery and production of proteins limited by evolution and traditional fabrication processes. For example, non-canonical amino acid inclusion allows new-to-nature proteins with improved structures and functions but often requires chemical synthesis, which is expensive, size- and complexity-restricted, and environmentally damaging. neoYeast™, based on Neochromosome's world-leading genome-scale cell engineering technology stack, enables the highly efficient and environmentally friendly integration of non-canonical amino acids into proteins, with both discovery and manufacturing possible in a single genome-engineered yeast strain. Sumitovant used DrugOME to explore libraries of traditional and non-traditional sources of data to recommend targeted protein development candidates for neoYeast. Co-Founder and CEO of Neochromosome, Leslie Mitchell, commented, "The combination of Sumitovant's technology platform and life-sciences expertise with Neochromosome's ability to both discover and biomanufacture novel proteins in a single system enables Neochromosome to accelerate and streamline the delivery of better therapies for patients." She added, "We are excited to partner with the world-class team at Sumitovant to identify opportunities to create better versions of existing drugs, along with new-to-nature compounds, and to manufacture them efficiently at scale." (Source – Business Wire) Sumitovant Biopharma, Inc. The firm has supported the development of multiple FDA-approved products and a strong pipeline of early-through late-stage investigational assets addressing unmet needs in pediatrics, oncology, urology, women's health, specialty respiratory, and infectious diseases through its proprietary computing and data platforms, scientific expertise, and diverse company portfolio. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Pharma.

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Innate Pharma Announces Preclinical Data Publication in Nature Biotechnology

Innate Pharma | January 17, 2023

On January 16, 2023, Innate Pharma SA announced the publication of preclinical findings demonstrating the control of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells by a trifunctional NKp46-CD16a-NK cell engager (NKCE) targeting CD123 in the scientific journal Nature Biotechnology. Innate and Sanofi conducted the experiments, which were published in Nature Biotechnology on January 12, 2023. This study demonstrates that CD64 expression on AML blasts imparts resistance to anti-CD123 antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC) and that redirecting NK cells against cancer targets by binding to CD16a and NKp46 circumvents this resistance. Moreover, through their binding to NKp46, CD123-NKCE primarily target NK cells and have substantial antitumor activity against primary AML blasts; they stimulate NK cell activation and cytokine secretion exclusively in AML cells' presence. In vivo, its antitumor activity observed in a mouse tumor model surpasses that of the anti-CD123 antibody used as the comparator. Furthermore, in vitro in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and in vivo in nonhuman primates, the efficacy of CD123-NKCE was associated with the induction of low pro-inflammatory cytokine release and the absence of toxicity. These results support CD123-NKCE clinical development. IPH6101/SAR'579 (SAR443579), the first NKp46/CD16-based CD123-targeted ANKETTM NK cell engager, is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial by Sanofi in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (R/R AML), B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (HR-MDS). About Innate Pharma Headquartered in Marseille (France), Innate Pharma SA is a global, clinical-stage oncology-focused biotech firm dedicated to enhancing patient treatment and clinical outcomes using therapeutic antibodies that employ the immune system to combat cancer. Its extensive antibody pipeline has numerous potentially first-in-class clinical and preclinical candidates for cancers with a high unmet medical need. In addition, Innate has been a pioneer in the study of natural killer cell (NK cell) biology and developed its expertise in tumor antigens, tumor microenvironment, and antibody engineering. This innovative strategy has resulted in a varied proprietary portfolio and substantial alliances with biopharmaceutical industry leaders, including Sanofi, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novo Nordisk A/S, and a multi-product collaboration with AstraZeneca.

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Hovione and Ripple Enter Strategic Partnership to Expand Epidel® Platform into Non-Ophthalmic Space

Hovione | March 21, 2023

Hovione, the specialist integrated CDMO, leader in spray drying and particle engineering, and Ripple Therapeutics, a leading ophthalmic sustained drug delivery company, have entered a strategic partnership to expand the use of Ripple's Epidel® platform beyond ophthalmic applications. The core feature of Ripple's Epidel® technology is the ability to deliver sustained-release pharmaceuticals with surface erosion release kinetics without the use of polymers or excipients. This enables higher drug loading, smaller size implants, defined and predictable biocompatible degradation products with straightforward and scalable manufacturing processes. Surface erosion-based drug release provides a highly effective way to control dose and duration. By incorporating Ripple's Epidel® platform into its toolbox, Hovione can expand its portfolio of novel drug delivery solutions to the pharmaceutical industry. "The combination of technology synergy, innovative vision and cultural fit makes collaborating with Hovione an exciting next step in the advancement of the Epidel® platform beyond the ophthalmic field," stated Dr. Wendy Naimark, Ripple co-founder and Chief Technology Officer. "Hovione's expertise in controlled, sustained drug delivery, along with their experience in chemical synthesis and pharmaceutical manufacturing, makes for a great partnership." "We are thrilled to partner with Ripple, who developed a state-of-the-art platform for sustained release," says Dr. Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Hovione's CEO. " Our shared goal is to accelerate and broaden the access to this highly innovative and enabling technology for the benefit of our pharmaceutical customers and their patients worldwide." By extending the use of the Epidel® platform beyond ocular applications, this partnership will enable the development of a diverse range of new products with optimal sustained release profiles. About Hovione Hovione is an international company with over 60 years of experience in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing operations. As a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) with a fully integrated offering of services for drug substances, drug product intermediates and drug products. The company has four FDA inspected sites in the USA, Portugal, Ireland and China and development laboratories in Lisbon, Portugal and New Jersey, USA. Hovione provides pharmaceutical customers services for the development and compliant manufacture of innovative drugs, including highly potent compounds, and customized product solutions across the entire drug life cycle. In the inhalation area, Hovione offers a complete range of services, from API, formulation development and devices. Hovione's culture is based on innovation, quality and dependability. Hovione was the first Chemical/ Pharmaceutical Company to become a Certified B Corp, is a member of Rx-360, EFCG and participates actively in industry quality improvement initiatives to lead new global industry standards. About Ripple Therapeutics Ripple Therapeutics Corporation is a clinical stage, privately held company that is focused on ophthalmic therapeutics with controllable, sustainable drug delivery. The core feature of Ripple's Epidel™ technology is the ability to engineer sustained-release pharmaceuticals with surface erosion release kinetics without the use of polymers or excipients. Ripple's novel therapeutics provide for better outcomes for patients, easier management of care for physicians and lower costs for payors. Ripple has a full product pipeline in development.

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