As part of a global strategy first unveiled last year, Roche is taking concrete steps to restructure its pharma operations in Asia, including the substantial downsizing of a Singapore office.

Public Company Edition: Turning Point's offering priced at $18 and its stock closed at $28.90. Also, Achaogen's bankruptcy reflects difficult antibacterial market, Ophthotech's name change follows strategy shift, and Gilead lays off 150 sales reps. Plus, cell and gene therapy FOPOs flourish.

Start-up Insitro will attempt to optimize up to five NASH targets for Gilead under three-year alliance. Catalent buys gene therapy CDMO Paragon for $1.2bn, Boehringer partners with PureTech in GI cancer, while Fibrocell inks gene therapy pact with Castle Creek.

Roche CEO Severin Schwan says the process of paying for hugely expensive gene therapies that can cure diseases needs revamping.

Significant leadership change is underway at J&J India, with Janssen India chief Sanjiv Navangul on his way out. He will be succeeded by senior J&J hand, Sarthak Ranade, who will need to handle some delicate issues pertaining to Sirturo while also keeping the flow of innovative products from the parent company to India going.

Drug makers and other stakeholders have been rolling out insulin savings programs as the high cost of insulins come under scrutiny on Capitol Hill. Sanofi announced an expanded cost-savings program during a House hearing, but one Congresswoman called them a band-aid. 

Drug makers remained front and center during the Senate Finance Committee's third hearing on drug pricing, even though leaders from five pharmacy benefit managers were testifying.

Activity in Japan's cell and regenerative therapy space continues apace as venture starts trial with lead development asset for acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Gilead Raday, chief operating officer of RedHill Biopharma, talks to Lucie Ellis, executive editor of In Vivo, about recently published late-stage data and next steps for its antibiotic asset, Talicia (RHB-105), for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection. 

A 3 May meeting with the FDA is likely to be crucial for the future commercialization strategy for the biotech’s precision-targeted antibacterial.