The European Commission (EC) has approved a Type II variation for CARVYKTI®▼ (ciltacabtagene autoleucel; cilta-cel) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), who have received at least one prior therapy, including an immunomodulatory agent (IMiD) and a proteasome inhibitor (PI) and have demonstrated disease progression on the last therapy, and are refractory to lenalidomide.1 Cilta-cel is an innovative chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy directed against B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA), a protein that is highly expressed on myeloma ..read more

Scientists have discovered a breakthrough that could potentially lead to the development of selective HDAC inhibitors designed to treat types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease and other inflammatory diseases. Mount Sinai researchers found the biological mechanisms by which a family of proteins known as histone deacetylases (HDACs) activate immune system cells linked to IBD. The team focused specifically on class IIa HDACs, which exhibit more tissue-specific functions than class I HDACs, which act more broadly. As an aspect of their investigation ..read more

A promising treatment strategy for an aggressive type of leukaemia – acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) – through targeting the enzymes that cells normally use to sense and adapt to changing oxygen levels, has been uncovered. Researchers have found that blocking oxygen-sensing enzymes can significantly halt acute myeloid leukaemia in mice and patient samples without affecting normal production of blood cells. The enzymes can already be blocked safely with existing drugs used to treat anaemia, so the researchers hope to see their findings translated to clinical trials for leukaemia. The team has al ..read more

A new cancer cell discovery into how skin cancer cells shapeshift based on their environment could offer potential new drug targets to stop skin cancer from metastasising. Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, uncovered how cells know what environment they are in and therefore which shape to choose. Working in collaboration with researchers at Imperial College London, the team have developed a new system to study cells in 3D – mimicking different parts of the body. Until now, most research has studied cells on hard 2D plastic surfaces. A unique microscope called stage-scannin ..read more

In a new landmark licensing agreement towards addressing the challenge of Meningitis-B, the University of Oxford and Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd (SIIPL) have formalised a Licence of Technology Agreement negotiated by Oxford University Innovation, delivering lifesaving protection against Meningitis-B through the production of a chimeric protein-based vaccine. After five years of work, SIIPL and the Oxford team, led by Professor Christoph Tang, at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology have formulated a quadrivalent vaccine consisting of four chimeric proteins to tackle Men-B. Preliminar ..read more

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has accepted Idorsia UK Ltd’s drug, QUVIVIQ▼ (daridorexant), for restricted use within NHS Scotland. The drug will be used for the treatment of adult patients with insomnia characterised by symptoms present for at least three months and considerable impact on daytime functioning, who have failed cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) or for whom CBT-I is unsuitable or unavailable.1 Following this decision, daridorexant will become the first dual orexin receptor antagonist (DORA) available for NHS patients living with chronic insomnia in Scotl ..read more

Gilead Sciences’ two-year partnership extension with NHS England means that in 2025, England could be amongst the first countries globally to have eliminated hepatitis C, five years ahead of the World Health Organization’s target of 2030.1 Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver and is passed via blood-to-blood contact. Without treatment, hepatitis C can cause serious damage to the liver and eventually lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer or liver failure.3 However, treatment for hepatitis C is 97% effective and it is possible to cure the disease after just a few months.4,5 From 2015 to 2022 ..read more

Guy Oliver has been appointed as General Manager for Bristol Myers Squibb, leading the UK and Ireland’s commercial affiliate, as it enters a period of renewal, transforming its product portfolio through its mission to help patients prevail over serious disease. Guy will also sit on the European Markets Leadership Team reporting into Monica Shaw, Senior Vice President and Head of European Markets. His background brings significant expertise in Bristol Myers Squibb’s therapeutic areas of oncology, haematology, immunology, cardiovascular and neuroscience. Commenting on his appointment, Guy Oliver ..read more

A long-acting injectable (LAI), Abilify Maintena® 960 mg (aripiprazole), by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Europe Ltd, has been approved by the European Commission (EC) as a once-every-two-months formulation for the maintenance treatment of schizophrenia in adult patients stabilised with aripiprazole. The EC decision applies to all European Union member states, as well as Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. Aripiprazole once-every-two-months LAI is a new formulation, containing 960 mg aripiprazole, provided in a single-chamber prefilled syringe that does not require reconstitution. It is intended for do ..read more

Chiesi has started a long-term phase III clinical safety trial for the new carbon minimal inhalers platform, replacing the current hydrofluorocarbon propellant with a new, low global warming potential propellant. Chiesi has already completed two short term clinical trials assessing the safety of the new propellant1, plus three clinical pharmacology studies on the new carbon minimal fixed combination of an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS), and a long-acting bronchodilator (LABA). These studies collectively provided reassuring evidence of a similar performance and tolerability of the new formulation ..read more