Q&A with Pfizer’s Mikael Dolsten - Med Ad News’ 2021 Company of the Year Pfizer has led the global war against the COVID-19 pandemic with the vaccine Comirnaty in partnership with BioNTech. To find out about some of the other significant products and pipeline assets in Pfizer’s arsenal, Med Ad News talked to Mikael Dolsten, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and President, Worldwide Research, Development and Medical.
Pfizer released data from several studies showing that nirmatrelvir, the active main protease inhibitor of the company’s antiviral combination therapy Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir), is effective against the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, a study conducted by 23andMe and published in Nature Genetics identified a genetic risk factor tied to the loss of smell from COVID-19.
AstraZeneca reported what the company called “unprecedented survival,” in the HIMALAYA Phase III trial using a single priming dose of tremelimumab added to the anti-PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor Imfinzi (durvalumab) compared to Bayer’s Nexavar (sorafenib) as a first-line treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who had not received previous systemic therapy and as a result, were not eligible for localized treatment.
Gilead Sciences Inc. said an unauthorized network of drug distributors and suppliers sold pharmacies more than $250 million of counterfeit versions of the company’s HIV treatments over the last two years, endangering patients.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved drugs from AbbVie Inc. and Pfizer Inc. for treating the skin disease eczema, the companies said on Jan. 14.
Gilead Sciences Inc. on Jan. 14 notified the U.S. health regulator of the company’s decision to voluntarily withdraw the use of the drug Zydelig for two types of cancer – follicular lymphoma and small lymphocytic leukemia.
A U.S. judge on January 14 barred Martin Shkreli from the pharmaceutical industry for life and ordered him to pay $64.6 million after he famously raised the price of the drug Daraprim and fought to block generic competitors.
NRx Pharmaceuticals filed a counter lawsuit against Relief Therapeutics, the company it initially partnered with to develop the experimental COVID-19 treatment aviptadil, which was submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Emergency Use Authorization.
As part of a restructuring of the company’s research and development areas, Tokyo-based Daiichi Sankyo announced the closing of the Plexxikon R&D subsidiary in South San Francisco.
Biogen shares fell on January 12 after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its draft national coverage decision for the company’s controversial Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm.
The U.S. government’s Medicare program on January 11 said it plans to cover Alzheimer’s treatments including Biogen Inc.’s Aduhelm, with some conditions.