Study: Parkinson's patients' response doubles with 'expensive' placebo

Patients told they were receiving a $1500 injection experienced two-fold improvement in motor function compared with patients who were told they were receiving a $100 injection. 

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 29, 2015

4 things you need to know about the sweeping FDA reform bill Congress just proposed

The 21st Century Cures initiative has bipartisan support. And it could be the biggest U.S. healthcare shakeup since Obamacare, transforming core elements of the regulatory and clinical trials pathway.

By Sy Mukherjee • Jan. 28, 2015

Explore the Trendline➔

Radiopharmaceuticals

A series of technological advances have led to an explosion of scientific progress — and dealmaking — involving medicines that can precisely deliver radioactive materials into tumors.   

By BioPharma Dive staff

NIH to launch Down syndrome research portal

Reams of de-identified personal data of individuals with Down syndrome will provide researchers and life science professionals more data to gain insight into the condition.

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 28, 2015

EMA suspending almost 50 drugs over flawed CRO clinical studies

The FDA has yet to take action on the issue, which involves serial data manipulation by an India-based CRO.

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 26, 2015

Regulators get creative on Ebola vaccine testing as infections decline

Ebola infection rates have been declining recently, making it harder for vaccine developers to recruit for clinical trials.

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 23, 2015

The M.D. perspective: Who stands to benefit from clinical trial transparency?

The stakes are high for clinical trial data availability and transparency—and not just for biomedical researchers. A practicing physician explains why having all the data matters so much.

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 22, 2015

4 key industry trends that will impact biopharma in 2015

From increasing industry consolidation and collaboration to all-out marketing wars, here are the four trends that will matter most to the industry in the coming months and years.

By Sy Mukherjee • Jan. 19, 2015

Blast from the past: Roche's dalcetrapib, HDL-raising meds could work for some patients

After being consigned to the pharmaceutical R&D dustbin in late 2012, Roche's cholesterol treatment, dalcetrapib may be resuscitated as researchers found data indicating that it may work in a subset of patients.

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 15, 2015

Sarepta fights back, Sanofi/BI partner, and more from the last day of JPM15

On the final day of this year's JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, Sarepta struck back at BioMarin, whose CEO had called out the former company over its Duchenne drug in no uncertain terms on Monday.

By Sy Mukherjee • Jan. 15, 2015

Johnson & Johnson to release trial data

The data transparency movement has scored an important victory. 

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 15, 2015

New Brilinta data supports extending use beyond one year

AstraZeneca already projects strong sales for Brilinta, with forecasts of $1.3 billion by 2020 and $3.5 billion by 2023.

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 15, 2015

AbbVie's Humira/hep C plans, bluebird bio, NIH funding, and even more from JPM15

Everything you need to know from day 3 of the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference and the Biotech Showcase 2015—including some surprising news from AbbVie.

By Sy Mukherjee • Jan. 14, 2015

Express Scripts, PCSK9s, Gilead, and Shire: More from JPM15 and BTS15

There was plenty of news Tuesday out of San Francisco. But Express Scripts' comments on drug pricing and Pfizer's PCSK9 pronouncements really had attendees talking.

By Sy Mukherjee • Jan. 13, 2015

BioMarin, Merck, and Sanofi: The biggest news so far from 'JPM15' and 'BTS15'

The biggest U.S. biopharma and healthcare conference of the year began on Monday in San Francisco, and companies like Merck are already making news at the event.

By Sy Mukherjee • Jan. 13, 2015

Biogen Idec's novel optical nerve repair therapy shows promise, but only some

The results did not reach statistical significance. Still, researchers are encouraged by the unprecedented biological repair in the CNS.

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 9, 2015

Study reveals no Gardasil-MS link

Despite anecdotes suggesting a link between the HPV vaccine and demyelinating diseases, a new JAMA study shows no correlation. 

By Nicole Gray • Jan. 8, 2015

Promising late-stage trial bodes well for Cempra's next-gen antibiotic

Cempra's oral solithromycin, a safer macrolide, met its main goal in a trial of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CAP) patients. 

By Sy Mukherjee • Jan. 5, 2015

Tekmira, Oxford University team up to test new investigational Ebola therapy

The International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (SARIC) is starting to conduct clinical studies of Tekmira's new Ebola drug—​TKM-Ebola-Guinea—with funding from Wellcome.

By Nicole Gray • Dec. 23, 2014

HHS's BARDA grants $30M Ebola vax development contract to NewLink

All of the clinical development, testing, and manufacturing of the rVSV-EBOV vaccine will be handled by BioProtection Systems—a subsidiary of NewLink.

By Nicole Gray • Dec. 23, 2014

GSK shingles vax shows major promise, could challenge Merck's Zostavax

GSK's phase III clinical trials have been going on for four long years. But the efforts are paying off in a big way.

By Nicole Gray • Dec. 19, 2014

Will this Pfizer orphan drug emerge as the Duchenne victor?

Pfizer, BioMarin, and Sarepta are all working on drugs to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), which overwhelmingly affects boys.

By Nicole Gray • Dec. 18, 2014

Abbott closes Veropharm deal amidst US-Russia political tension

Abbott has completed a deal to buy Veropharma from billionaire Roman Avdeev for $305 million, in spite of ongoing political tensions between the West and Russia.

By Nicole Gray • Dec. 15, 2014

Novartis psoriasis drug bests J&J's Stelara in head-to-head trial

After 16 weeks, patients treated with Cosentyx (secukinumab) achieved clear or almost clear skin

By Nicole Gray • Dec. 15, 2014

ICYMI: 3 charts that show why 2014 was a milestone year for US novel drug approvals

"What really matters is that many of these new products offer significant clinical value to the care of thousands of patients with serious and life-threatening disease," said FDA Commissioner Maggie Hamburg.

By Sy Mukherjee • Dec. 12, 2014

Merck, NewLink Ebola vax trial suspended over joint pain complaints

4 participants out of 59 complained of joint pain in their hands and feet, prompting the University of Geneva Hospital to take temporary precautions.

By Sy Mukherjee • Dec. 11, 2014