NEWS
New developments in the Pharmaceutical industry
Global survey investigating early Type 2 Diabetes launched by Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly
Merck invests in research Roche and Polyphor join efforts to combat partnerships in Israel the global pharmaceutical, chemical multi-drug-resistant Merck, and life science company, is increasingly counting on partnerships with Israeli biotech combacterial infections panies, as demonstrated by its cooperation with
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oehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company have announced the launch of the largest multinational survey to investigate early conversations between physicians and people living with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). The survey was developed in partnership with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and will include more than 10,000 people with T2D and more than 6500 treating-physicians across 26 countries worldwide. The findings will provide in-depth insights into early conversations at diagnosis and when an additional therapy may be required beyond the first medication. The survey will also investigate how these early conversations may be linked to an individual’s wellbeing and other self-reported outcomes. Early and comprehensive management of T2D has been shown to lead to better outcomes and the reduction of diabetes-related complications. Effective communication between a person living with T2D and their physician right from diagnosis may increase the individual’s satisfaction and adherence, improve quality of life, enhance self-care, and may even improve blood glucose control and outcomes. Visit: www.boehringer-ingelheim.com
Bayer HealthCare, Inception Sciences and Versant Ventures join forces
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ayer HealthCare has entered into an exclusive collaboration with Inception Sciences, Inc. and Versant Ventures. Inception Sciences and Bayer will jointly conduct early research in the area of ophthalmology, in a newly created company called ‘Inception
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oche and Polyphor Ltd have entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement to develop and commercialise Polyphor’s investigational macrocycle antibiotic, POL7080, for patients suffering from bacterial infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Antimicrobial resistance represents a major threat to public health worldwide, leading to 25,000 deaths and related costs of over €1.5 billion in healthcare expenses and productivity losses in the European Union alone each year. POL7080 belongs to a new class of antibiotics that kills Pseudomonas aeruginosa by a novel mode of action. It has demonstrated clinical safety and tolerability in a Phase I clinical trial and holds promise for the treatment of serious bacterial infections caused by multi-drug-resistant Pseudomonas species. Visit: www.roche.com
Metabomed and ChanBio, both of which have now joined the Merck Serono Israel Bioincubator. Merck is already cooperating with multiple Israeli start-up companies such as Qlight Nanotech, as well as research institutes such as the Weizmann Institute of Science as it seeks innovations that could become the basis for future products. “The innovative landscape of Israel fits in perfectly with our ‘Living Innovation’ claim,” said Stefan Oschmann, Merck’s executive board member responsible for the Pharmaceuticals businesses. “In Israel we not only have a past which has led to some of Merck’s most important products like Rebif and Erbitux, but also a promising future because we continue to find very interesting and cutting-edge science and the support here in Israel to translate that science into products.” Visit: www.merck.com
Novartis honoured by Malaria No More
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recognition of Novartis’s significant on-going contributions to malaria control and elimination, the company has been honoured with the Global Corporate Citizenship Award at the Malaria
4’. The goal of this new alliance is to develop treatment options, focused on a novel target and pathway, for patients with eye diseases, such as wet age-related macular degeneration and geographic atrophy. Prof. Andreas Busch, head of global drug discovery and member of the executive Committee of Bayer HealthCare, says: “Bayer is strongly committed to expanding
No More International Honours annual benefit. Since 2001 Novartis has delivered more than 600 million antimalarial treatments to malariaendemic countries across Africa, without profit. The company also adopts an innovative approach in its long-standing efforts to eliminate malaria and has invested in partnerships to maximise the impact of its efforts. In 2009, in collaboration with Medicines for Malaria Venture, Novartis was first to develop a sweet-tasting dispersible artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) treatment specifically for infants and children. Visit: www.novartis.com its research efforts in the area of ophthalmology. In addition to this collaboration, numerous substances addressing retinal eye diseases are currently investigated in early research stages at Bayer. Furthermore, we are working on a promising novel drug candidate with an alternative mode of delivery as an eye drop.” Visit: healthcare.bayer.com
