Breaking World Pharma News

Machine learning can help predict patient response to cancer immunotherapy

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 10:00:00 +0100

Predicting which patients will respond well to treatment is a quandary that has plagued the field of cancer immunotherapy for more than four decades. Now, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy are one step closer to solving that problem.

Sanofi and GSK's next-generation COVID-19 booster vaccine VidPrevtyn® Beta approved by the European Commission

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 10:00:00 +0100

After the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a positive opinion for VidPrevtyn® Beta, the vaccine was approved by the European Commission, as a booster for the prevention of COVID-19 in adults 18 years of age and older.

New drug shows promise for fighting both COVID-19 and cancer

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 10:00:00 +0100

While vaccination can provide life-saving protection against COVID-19, scientists are still searching for ways to treat severe infections, including in people who cannot get vaccinated or in the event that dangerous new strains of the virus arise that could bypass vaccine protection.

Pfizer and BioNTech receive positive CHMP opinion for Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster for children 5 through 11 years of age in European Union

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 10:00:00 +0100

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX) announced a booster dose of their Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent COVID-19 vaccine (COMIRNATY® Original/Omicron BA.4/BA.5 5/5 µg) has been recommended for marketing authorization by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) for children 5 through 11 years of age.

Making melanoma immortal: Pitt scientists discover key genetic step in cancer’s race to live forever

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 10:00:00 +0100

Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have discovered the missing puzzle piece in the mystery of how melanoma tumors control their mortality.

In a paper published in Science this week, Jonathan Alder, Ph.D. and his team describe how they discovered the perfect combination of genetic alterations that tumors use to promote explosive growth and prevent their own demise, a development that could change the way oncologists understand and treat melanoma.

Vividion Therapeutics names Jenna Goldberg as Chief Medical Officer

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 12:00:00 +0100

Vividion Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company utilizing novel discovery technologies to unlock high value, traditionally undruggable targets with precision therapeutics for devastating cancers and immune disorders, and a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of Bayer AG, today announced that Jenna Goldberg, M.D., has joined the company as Chief Medical Officer.

COVID vaccination improves effectiveness of cancer treatment

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 10:00:00 +0100

Patients with nasopharyngeal cancer are often treated with drugs that activate their immune system against the tumor. Until now, it was feared that vaccination against Covid-19 could reduce the success of cancer treatment or cause severe side effects. A recent study by the Universities of Bonn and Shanxi in the People's Republic of China now gives the all-clear in this regard.

Bayer with continued strong performance

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 10:00:00 +0100

The Bayer Group maintained its strong business performance across all three divisions in the third quarter. "Despite rising inflation and global supply chain problems, we were again able to boost sales and earnings," said Werner Baumann, Chairman of the Board of Management, when presenting the company's quarterly statement on Tuesday.

Sugar molecules as a target in cancer therapy

Mon, 07 Nov 2022 12:00:00 +0100

Cancer cells use sugar molecules on their surface to disable attacks by the body's immune system. Researchers at the University of Basel now report on how this mechanism can be neutralized.

The immune system is actually extremely well equipped to get rid of abnormal cells.

Study reveals vaccine confidence declined considerably during COVID-19 pandemic

Mon, 07 Nov 2022 10:00:00 +0100

A new study suggests that, despite the success of the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, vaccine confidence has declined significantly since the start of the pandemic.

Researchers from the University of Portsmouth carried out two anonymous surveys in the winters of 2019 and 2022 to investigate people's attitudes towards vaccinations and the factors that might underpin hesitancy and refusal.

Pfizer's elranatamab granted FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma

Fri, 04 Nov 2022 10:00:00 +0100

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) announced its investigational cancer immunotherapy, elranatamab, received Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of people with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). Elranatamab is a B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-CD3-targeted bispecific antibody (BsAb).

CPHI Excellence in Pharma Award Winners 2022

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 12:00:00 +0100

1 - 3 November, 2022, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
CPHI Frankfurt announces the winners of the prestigious 2022 CPHI Pharma Awards, recognising outstanding achievements from the global pharma industry, across 10 specialist categories.

The CPHI Pharma Awards recognise progress and innovation across the pharma supply chain. This year's winners are:

CPHI Frankfurt Report predicts huge funding overhang to drive contract services growth

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 10:00:00 +0100

1 - 3 November, 2022, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
New research from the CPHI Annual Report 2022 - launched during CPHI Frankfurt - predicts that huge volumes of Venture Capital (VC) and Private Equity (PE) cash reserves will drive significant expansion in demand for CRO and CDMO services in the next two years.

Salvat Laboratories announces submission of New Drug Application to the U.S. FDA for Clobetasol Nanoemulsion for treating inflammation and pain after ocular surgery

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 10:00:00 +0100

Salvat Laboratories announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the FDA for the approval of the first ocular corticosteroid formulated in a nanoemulsion for inflammation and pain in post-ocular surgery patients.

This submission comes after two successful phase III clinical trials conducted between 2020 and 2021.

CPHI Frankfurt 2022: Global pharma confidence hits record high in the annual CPHI Pharma Index

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 10:00:00 +0100

1 - 3 November, 2022, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Pharma confidence in growth, innovation and manufacturing quality has reached record highs in the CPHI Annual Survey. The results announced at CPHI Frankfurt - the world's largest pharma event - bode extremely well for the industry's prospects in 2023 and beyond.

New insights on antibody responses to Omicron variants

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 10:00:00 +0100

Knowing how well vaccination against one SARS-CoV-2 strain (with or without previous infection) counteracts infection with a different strain is a critical research question. The answers could guide strategies to continue to subdue the COVID pandemic, even as the coronavirus regains ground.

The origin-of-life molecule, a key to cancer research

Fri, 28 Oct 2022 10:00:00 +0200

RNA, the molecule that gave rise to life, has been shown to be essential for repairing human genetic material and preventing mutations that might lead to developing cancer. Recent advances in research, such as those published by the research team of Daniel Gómez Cabello at the University of Seville, propose this compound as a therapeutic target for developing tailored strategies for treating cancer.

Ancient viral DNA in human genome guards against infections

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 10:00:00 +0200

Viral DNA in human genomes, embedded there from ancient infections, serve as antivirals that protect human cells against certain present-day viruses, according to new research.

The paper, "Evolution and Antiviral Activity of a Human Protein of Retroviral Origin," published in Science, provides proof of principle of this effect.

Fighting tumors with magnetic bacteria

Wed, 26 Oct 2022 10:00:00 +0200

Scientists around the world are researching how anti-cancer drugs can most efficiently reach the tumours they target. One possibility is to use modified bacteria as "ferries" to carry the drugs through the bloodstream to the tumours. Researchers at ETH Zurich have now succeeded in controlling certain bacteria so that they can effectively cross the blood vessel wall and infiltrate tumour tissue.

Pfizer and BioNTech announce positive early data from clinical trial of Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent booster in individuals 18 years and older

Tue, 25 Oct 2022 10:00:00 +0200

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX) announced early data from a Phase 2/3 clinical trial (NCT05472038) evaluating the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of the companies' Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent (Original and Omicron BA.4/BA.5)).