Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Novartis Exec To Depart As Pharmaceutical Company Undergoes Restructuring
The Wall Street Journal: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Head To Depart Amid Restructuring
Novartis AG said its head of pharmaceuticals, David Epstein, is to leave the company amid a restructuring that will split his role in two. The Basel, Switzerland-based drug giant said Mr. Epstein, who is American, had decided to leave the company “to explore new challenges from the U.S.” Chief Executive Joe Jimenez said Mr. Epstein had “steered our pharmaceuticals division through a period of excellence in innovation, execution and improved financial results.” Novartis disclosed Mr. Epstein’s departure as the company announced plans to separate its cancer unit from the rest of the pharmaceuticals business. (Roland, 5/17)
The Wall Street Journal: AstraZeneca’s Asthma Drug Shows Positive Results
AstraZeneca PLC reported positive results from two late-stage studies on a severe asthma treatment that it hopes will grab market share in an increasingly competitive area. The U.K.-based company said the drug, called benralizumab, reduced the frequency of asthma attacks in people with a severe form of the disease. It said it planned to submit the drug to U.S. and European Union regulators for approval later this year. The drug is one of a new class of injected respiratory treatments for patients who can’t control their asthma with existing inhaled drugs and tablets. (Roland, 5/17)
The Wall Street Journal: Patent Office To Review A Regimen Of AbbVie’s Humira
Federal regulators agreed to review a key patent for Humira, sending shares of the anti-inflammatory drug’s maker, AbbVie Inc., lower Tuesday while lifting those of hopeful rival Coherus BioSciences Inc. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board took up Coherus’s petition to look at AbbVie’s patent on a Humira dosing regimen to treat rheumatoid arthritis. (Steele, 5/17)
