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…
Insulet sues Roche over diabetes tech patent
Insulet (NSDQ:PODD) is suing Roche Diabetes Care in the U.K., claiming that Roche prematurely began selling tubeless insulin pumps covered by an Insulet patent three years before that patent expires. The trial for the lawsuit, filed in August 2020, began this week in the U.K. High Court. Insulet claims that Roche has been infringing the…
Ginkgo Bioworks buys Dutch microbe company ahead of going public
Ginkgo Bioworks announced today that it agreed to acquire fungal platform technology developer Dutch DNA ahead of going public. Last week, the Boston-based cell programming platform developer announced that it was combining with Soaring Eagle Acquisition Corp. to go public. The SPAC values Ginkgo at $15 billion and is expected to provide up to $2.5…
Pharma 50: Here’s how the world’s largest pharma companies are doing
The global pharmaceutical industry held up well during the pandemic, with 10 of the largest businesses only seeing a roughly –3% drop in revenue in 2020. Eight of the 10 even came out ahead. That’s one of the big takeaways from our sister publication Drug Discovery & Development’s inaugural Pharma 50, a compilation of data…
The top 5 pharma firms by reputation
Recent research from reputation data specialist RepTrak (Boston) indicates that the pharma industry had the largest year-over-year reputational improvement of any sector, according to its roundup of top 100 corporations. The sector saw significant gains in consumers’ perception of its citizenship and governance. Now ranked eighth overall, the pharma industry came in just ahead of…
Roche to spend $500M on new operations center in Canada
Roche (SWX: RO, ROG) recently announced that it will create a Global Pharma Technical (PT) Operations site at its Canadian pharmaceutical headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario. The new operations site, announced, Oct. 16, involves a $500 investment over five years, with 200 people hired for skilled jobs by the end of this year. Roche plans to hire 300 more…