30
Sep
2019
Tag: Big Pharma / Specialty Pharma
23
Sep
2019
Bionest
Changing Policies for Kidney Care
More than 1 in 7 American adults has chronic kidney disease (CKD), with the majority of those affected unaware of it. CKD is associated with heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and early death. Chronic kidney care for patients who have progressed to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or kidney failure — and thus require dialysis —...
16
Sep
2019
Bionest
Focusing on NASH
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the build-up of fat in the liver that is not caused by alcohol, affects almost 100 million people in the United States alone. With no drug therapies available for the condition, treatment has focused mostly on weight loss. The more severe form of NAFLD, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), causes the liver...
9
Sep
2019
Bionest
Gilead and Galapagos
With Gilead Sciences’ hepatitis C sales revenues from Solvaldi and Harvoni fading and lower than expected Yescarta sales, the company has been looking for new products to bolster its pipeline. In mid-July, Gilead addressed some of this need by deepening ties to an existing partner, Galapagos. The two companies have formed a 10-year, $5.1 billion...
2
Sep
2019
Bionest
Zolgensma Launch “On Track,” but Significant Challenges Remain
On July 18, Novartis told analysts its Zolgensma launch was “on track.” Despite the gene therapy’s $2.1 million price tag, the company states the launch is “one of the most successful launches from an access standpoint in rare diseases.” Novartis said it had reached coverage deals with more than 20 commercial insurance plans, covering approximately 40%...
26
Aug
2019
Bionest
The Rise of the Chief Digital Officer in Pharma Companies
Chief Digital Officer (CDO) is the latest title to become a standard within the pharmaceutical company C-suite, with Takeda, Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Merck, Sanofi and others all making such appointments in recent years. As we’ve written before, this addition to the pharma senior management team reflects the growing importance of digital to pharma, which encompasses...
12
Aug
2019
Bionest
New Excitement About Antibody-Drug Conjugates in Cancer
The ability to target malignant cells without damage to surrounding healthy ones has been a long-sought goal in cancer drug development. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have been investigated as one such solution aimed at delivering more targeted therapies. ADCs — an approach first envisioned by Paul Ehrlich in the early 20th century — combine the targeting...
10
Jun
2019
Bionest
Breaking Out of the Bubble
X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (X-SCID, or SCID-X1), is an orphan monogenic disorder popularly known as ‘bubble boy disease’ that affects 1 in 50,000-100,000 live births. The most serious of all primary immunodeficiencies, X-SCID causes severe failure of the immune system, including a lack of T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, or functional B cells. For...
29
Apr
2019
Bionest
Next Generation Pills
Few people like injections, which can limit adherence to therapy and even cause some patients to avoid potentially beneficial treatments altogether. As a result, drug developers have commonly viewed oral delivery as the “gold standard” for many therapies, especially for common chronic conditions. Formulating protein therapeutics for efficient delivery in a pill or capsule, however,...
22
Apr
2019