Novartis

Men with a deadly form of advanced prostate cancer who failed other treatments survived four months longer after getting an experimental tumor-targeting radiation therapy from Swiss drugmaker Novartis, data released on June 3 showed.

Ashfield Engage, part of UDG Healthcare plc., announced the completion of the acquisition of Nuvera LLC, a U.S.-based healthcare consulting firm specializing in patient support programs. Nuvera’s expertise in optimizing the design and build of seamless patient and HCP treatment experiences will enhance Ashfield Engage’s Patient Solutions capabilities and create an end-to-end strategic offering across their client’s product lifecycles.

CVS Health announced a new Clinical Trial Services business that brings together innovation and experience, driving greater access to clinical trials across the communities the company serves and creating a more efficient, convenient experience to improve participant retention and research effectiveness.

An experimental Bristol Myers Squibb drug from a new class of immunotherapy used in combination with the company’s big-selling cancer medicine Opdivo significantly extended the time it took for advanced melanoma to worsen compared with Opdivo alone, according to early data from a study released on May 19.

Microbial sciences company Seed Health closed a $40 million Series A financing round and Dutch company Anavo Therapeutics announced seed financing totaling €20 million ($24 million) to discover small molecules that target phosphatases.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Sarclisa (isatuximab-irfc) in combination with carfilzomib and dexamethasone, for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) who have received one to three prior lines of therapy.

In the RELATIVITY-047 Phase II/III trial combining Bristol Myers Squibb’s Opdivo with the anti-LAG-3 antibody relatlimab, the drug mashup met the study’s primary goal for progression-free survival compared to use of the blockbuster brand alone in metastatic melanoma patients.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Aveo Oncology’s Fotivda (tivozanib) for adults with relapsed or refractory advanced renal cell carcinoma in people who have had two or more previous systemic therapies.

Regeneron and Sanofi’s checkpoint inhibitor Libtayo (cemiplimab-rwlc) won U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors have high PD-L1 expression.

Merck presented new data from the Phase III CLEAR trial (KEYNOTE-581/Study 307) at the virtual 2021 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium of the company’s checkpoint inhibitor Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and Eisai’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor Lenvima (lenvatinib) in renal cell carcinoma.