Pfizer, AbbVie and Gilead among drugmakers boosting prices to start 2020

List prices rose on some of the top-selling medicines in the U.S., including Humira, Opdivo, Prevnar 13 and Biktarvy.

By Andrew Dunn • Jan. 2, 2020

Ultragenyx sells European royalty stake in rare disease drug for $320M

Royalty Pharma will add another stake to its expansive collection, while the California biotech gets an immediate injection of cash.

By Andrew Dunn • Dec. 18, 2019

Explore the Trendline➔

Commercialization

New drugs for obesity and Alzheimer’s look set to become blockbusters, reshaping pharma marketing strategies just as many current top-sellers near looming patent cliffs.

By BioPharma Dive staff

Data alone can't make health improvements happen

Big tech could soon be playing the role of big brother in monitoring our health-related behaviors, with or without consumers' explicit buy-in.

By Pratap Khedkar • Dec. 3, 2019

Before 2019 closes, the FDA has 3 key approval decisions to make

The agency has been on an approval tear lately, and more may come as reviews for drugs from Amarin, Allergan and Intra-Cellular wrap up.

By Jacob Bell • Nov. 27, 2019

FDA's rapid review pace nets an early approval for Alnylam's second drug

Givosiran, which will be sold as Givlaari, is the second RNAi therapeutic cleared by the agency after Alnylam's Onpattro.

By Jonathan Gardner • Nov. 20, 2019

France clears way for wide use of Vertex's Orkambi

By agreeing to reimburse the drug beyond compassionate use, France opens up access to one of the largest cystic fibrosis populations outside the U.S.

By Jonathan Gardner • Nov. 20, 2019

Nascent digital therapeutics group lays out best practices, ethics

The two-year-old group is looking to differentiate higher-risk products that claim to treat disease from more general digital health and wellness apps.

By Susan Kelly • Nov. 13, 2019

Sage's new drug starts slow, as Wall Street waits for depression data

Few expected Sage's postpartum depression drug Zulresso to start fast. Sales of $1.5 million in its first full quarter on market confirmed those expectations.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Nov. 13, 2019

Walgreens reportedly mulling massive private equity buyout

The drugstore retailer is exploring a possible go-private deal, which would be the largest leveraged buyout in history, according to multiple media reports. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 6, 2019

AstraZeneca's China ambitions grow with new R&D investments

Already a leader in China, the British pharma is doubling down with plans to open two new centers and launch a $1 billion biotech investment fund.

By Jonathan Gardner • Nov. 6, 2019

Third Neulasta biosimilar on its way as Sandoz wins long-delayed FDA approval

Novartis' drug will be third to market, but copycat drugs have already taken a chunk of the market away from Amgen's branded version.

By Jonathan Gardner • Nov. 5, 2019

Five recent developments radically re-shaping new drug commercialization

Emerging companies and drug developers need a new game plan and new resources as their pipelines mature, often choosing to go solo where previous players partnered with others.

By Dominic Marasco, RPh • Nov. 1, 2019

Sanofi pays $315 million to settle Lemtrada go-slow claims

The administrator of a contingent value right tied to Sanofi's buyout of Genzyme argued the pharma slowed Lemtrada's progress to dodge billions in potential payouts.

By Jonathan Gardner • Oct. 31, 2019

FDA panel backs withdrawal of Amag drug to prevent preterm birth

An advisory committee narrowly recommended the FDA rescind approval for Makena, which showed no benefit in a confirmatory study.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Oct. 30, 2019

CMS proposes lifting restrictions on next-gen sequencing tests for cancer

The agency revised its proposed national coverage determination after receiving more than 80 comments, with plans to extend coverage of next generation sequencing tests to earlier-stage and hereditary cancers.

By Nick Paul Taylor • Oct. 30, 2019

Gilead CAR-T sales slow, renewing growth doubts

Yescarta, the cell therapy Gilead acquired in its $12 billion deal for Kite, appeared to hit a snag, with sales from July to September declining versus the second quarter. 

By Ned Pagliarulo • Oct. 25, 2019

Vertex clears its biggest commercial hurdle: UK insurance coverage

After months of testy negotiations, Vertex and English health authorities have created a reimbursement plan for the company's cystic fibrosis drugs.

By Jacob Bell • Oct. 24, 2019

5 insights from a chat with Larry Merlo, CEO of CVS Health

Healthcare Dive talked to Merlo about competing with Amazon, the path to buying Aetna and new areas in which CVS could play a role. 

By Rebecca Pifer • Oct. 23, 2019

Assessing provider (and patient) motivation

Behavioral science provides a roadmap to understanding how HCPs make decisions and what drives prescribing behavior, but more importantly, it gives us strategies that we can apply to disrupt the status quo.

By Patty Zipfel, PhD, ISMPP, CMPP™ VP, Scientific Strategy MicroMass Communications, Inc. • Oct. 23, 2019

Novartis' Zolgensma starts strong as about 100 infants are treated with gene therapy

Sales totaled $160 million in the gene therapy's first full quarter of commercial availability, well above Wall Street's expectations.

By Andrew Dunn • Oct. 22, 2019

Vertex wins speedy approval for cystic fibrosis triplet

With Trikafta cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, Vertex estimates its drugs can treat as much as 90% of patients with the lung condition. 

By Jacob Bell • Oct. 21, 2019

Teva offers $23B of Suboxone to get out of opioid litigation

Whether such a deal would be widely accepted wasn't clear, however, amid reports attorneys for plaintiff municipalities had already rejected Teva's "agreement in principle."

By Jonathan Gardner • Oct. 21, 2019

Drug distributors, Teva settle in Ohio opioid case

The companies, which include AmerisourceBergen, McKesson and Cardinal Health, will pay $260 million to two Ohio counties to avoid a trial. 

By Jonathan Gardner • Updated Oct. 21, 2019

Bristol-Myers, Pfizer partner with Fitbit to speed AFib diagnosis

The two drugmakers market Eliquis, a top-selling anticoagulant approved for stroke prevention in individuals with atrial fibrillation.

By David Lim • Oct. 17, 2019

Novartis backs away from marketing Pear digital therapeutics

While Sandoz and Pear are still working together, the Swiss pharma unit will no longer co-promote the recently launched reSET and reSET-O.

By Kristin Jensen • Oct. 16, 2019