Roche recently announced it opened its latest Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED) Center in Basel Switzerland. The new facility is equipped with cutting-edge technologies and houses around 1,000 laboratory and office workspaces, according to the company. It is located at the company’s global headquarters and brings together teams of scientists and researchers to accelerate…
Lonza buys Genentech manufacturing plant from Roche for $1.2B
Lonza agreed to acquire the Genentech large-scale biologics manufacturing site in Vacaville, California, from Roche for $1.2 billion. The acquisition will increase Lonza’s large-scale biologics manufacturing capacity to meet demand for commercial mammalian contract manufacturing from customers with existing commercial products, plus molecules currently on the path to commercialization within its network. Lonza’s new facility…
Roche enters red-hot metabolic disease market with Carmot Therapeutics acquisition
Swiss pharma giant Roche had a limited presence in metabolic disease, but the firm has agreed to take over obesity drug developer Carmot Therapeutics for $2.7 billion, rivaling the dominance of next-gen obesity drug developers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly. Carmot had been a rising star in biotech, attracting significant funding, including a $150 million…
New Bayer CEO Bill Anderson’s move to cut management mirrors his Roche playbook
Bill Anderson, who assumed leadership of Bayer in June, is eyeing cuts to the company’s mid- and upper-management. In addition to the cost-savings, Anderson expects the cuts to streamline decision-making. The moves are part of Anderson’s first step in bolder initiative to revamp Bayer’s operational dynamics in the face of investor pressures. It is relatively…
Roche to donate more medicines and diagnostics to Ukraine
With the war in Ukraine on the verge of entering its second month, Roche (SIX:RO, ROG; OTCQX:RHHBY) has announced that it will donate additional medications and diagnostics to the country. The company had announced its plans to aid the country in early March, which included 150,000 packs of the antibiotic Rocephin, an antibiotic WHO lists as…
How medtech and pharma are responding to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Medtech and pharma companies continue to support Ukraine relief efforts following Russia’s invasion. Previously, the World Health Organization announced that it was sending “essential medical supplies” to Ukraine — including its first shipment of 36 metric tons of supplies for trauma care and emergency surgery and other health supplies — to meet the needs of more than…
Roche to donate essential medicines to Ukraine
Roche (SIX:RO, ROG; OTCQX:RHHBY) announced that it would ship 150,000 packages of the antibiotic Rocephin to Ukraine, among other medical supplies, including diagnostics. Rocephin is a broad-spectrum cephalosporin antibiotic. The World Health Organization cites it as an essential medicine. Basel, Switzerland–headquartered Roche noted in a statement that it is working with various international and local…
WHO prequalifies aIL-6R therapy for patients with severe or critical COVID-19
Roche (SWX:ROG) has won World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification for Actemra/RoActemra. Actemra/RoActemra is an anti-interleukin-6 receptor (aIL-6R) receptor antagonist with tocilizumab as an active substance. The prequalification will assist in low- and middle-income countries in procuring the therapy for patients on systemic corticosteroids who require supplemental oxygen or mechanical ventilation. Actemra/RoActemra is the twelfth medicine…
COVID-19 treatments will continue to lift pharma sector, according to Moody’s
The pandemic has eased throughout much of the world. But demand for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments continues to be brisk, according to ratings agency Moody’s. In general, the pandemic will contribute to the pharmaceutical industry’s projected EBITDA growth rate of 4% to 6% over the coming 12 to 18 months, the firm concluded. While a…
10 of the best pharma companies to work for
The pharmaceutical industry is on the upswing and is poised to have a compound annual growth rate of 13.7% from 2020 to 2027, according to projections from Grand View Research. The industry’s resurgence is a good opportunity for employees in the sector, who frequently enjoy comfortable salaries. To get a sense of which pharmaceutical companies…