News and Trends 19 Feb 2018 Is Novartis’ Psoriasis Drug Going to Steal Humira’s Crown? Two clinical studies have demonstrated the capacity of Novartis’ monoclonal antibody to treat both plaque and scalp psoriasis and improve patient quality of life. Not only is Novartis leading the CAR-T cell therapy field with the approval of Kymriah last year, the big pharma is also developing drugs for diseases affecting the immune system. The company presented […] February 19, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 6 Feb 2018 New Artificial Intelligence Test for Leukemia Now Available in Europe Sophia Genetics has received a CE-IVD mark for its molecular diagnostics test, which will improve the detection of leukemia. Swiss company Sophia Genetics is a leader in the field of data-driven medicine, with its artificial intelligence (AI) technology already been used to analyze the next-generation sequencing data of over 160,000 patients’ around the world. Today, the company […] February 6, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 25 Jan 2018 What Happened to the Plans for a Smart Contact Lens for Diabetics? Originally projected to be on the market by 2020, excitement about the contact lens to measure glucose levels from Novartis and Google has waned. Why? In 2016, smart wearables growth was steady but a recent study predicts that the market will pick up this year introducing innovative products to the consumer market: according to CCS Insight, the market for […] January 25, 2018 - 5 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 22 Jan 2018 Novartis Takes Genmab’s Leukemia Drug Off the Market Genmab’s leukemia drug will be available around the world through compassionate use programs, while it will continue to be marketed as normal in the US. Blockbuster drug owner Genmab developed Arzerra for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) but the drug will be taken off the market outside the US due to its low uptake. Novartis markets the drug and […] January 22, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 8 Jan 2018 Meet the Swiss CEO Pulling Out All the Stops Against Alzheimer’s Disease Efforts to treat Alzheimer’s Disease have been hit with failure after failure in the last year or so. Andrea Pfeifer, co-founder and CEO of AC Immune, told me about how her company hopes to pull off a win. Andrea Pfeifer started out as toxicologist in oncology before she moved into entrepreneurship. She left Germany after […] January 8, 2018 - 8 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 14 Dec 2017 A Breath of Fresh Air for Biotechs Working on Cystic Fibrosis Therapies? Researchers from the University of Zurich have determined the structure of a chloride channel, which could be a target for new drugs to treat cystic fibrosis. Researchers at the University of Zurich have found a new target for future cystic fibrosis treatments. The study, published in Nature, has uncovered the structure of a protein that could help to […] December 14, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 13 Dec 2017 CRISPR Therapeutics Plans First CRISPR/Cas9 Clinical Trial in Europe for 2018 CRISPR Therapeutics and Vertex Pharmaceuticals are taking action to start a first clinical trial with CRISPR/Cas9 in Europe in 2018. The blood disorder β-thalassemia could soon be the first human disease to be treated using CRISPR/Cas9 technology in Europe. CRISPR Therapeutics and its partner Vertex Pharmaceuticals have announced the first candidate from their collaboration that will go […] December 13, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 7 Dec 2017 Taking Aim at Lung Cancer: New Triple Combination Therapy Boosts Survival A new first-line combination therapy for advanced non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer improved progression-free survival during a Phase III trial. Scientists based at the Lung Clinic Grosshansdorf, Hamburg, and Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, have presented the results of a Phase III study at the ESMO Immuno Oncology Congress 2017. The study was the first to investigate a combination […] December 7, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 4 Dec 2017 Swiss Biotech Brings in Reinforcements to See Hypertension Drug Through Phase III Idorsia will collaborate with Janssen on the development of its hypertension drug, aprocitentan, which could help to prevent future heart attacks and strokes. Idorsia was born out of Actelion’s massive $30B (€27.9B) acquisition by Johnson & Johnson, retaining all of the former biotech’s early-stage assets. The company develops small molecules for a broad range of […] December 4, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 Nov 2017 What Exactly Happens in the Cells of People with Down’s Syndrome? Researchers in Switzerland have taken a closer look at the cells of Down’s syndrome patients, with widespread changes in protein expression observed. Down’s syndrome, or trisomy 21, is the most common genetic disease, characterized by facial dysmorphism, learning disabilities, poor muscle tone and heart problems. Research carried out at the University of Geneva and ETH […] November 29, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 28 Nov 2017 A Treatment for Sudden Deafness Fails in Phase III Auris Medical’s treatment for sudden deafness has failed to meet its efficacy endpoint, leading the company to terminate a second trial early. Based in Zug, Switzerland, Auris Medical is developing what could be the first treatments for inner ear disorders such as hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo. But today, the company suffered a setback. Its lead […] November 28, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 28 Nov 2017 The Link Between Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity may have Finally been Uncovered Researchers at the Université de Genève have unravelled the cellular and molecular mechanisms linking obesity and insulin resistance. We have long known about a link between obesity and type 2 diabetes, but discovering the underlying mechanisms has proved difficult. A group of researchers at the Université de Genève, Switzerland, may have found a protein that links changes […] November 28, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email