EU Approvals: Takeda advances its targeted ALK-positive NSCLC tyrosine kinase inhibitor into early lines of therapy, while Bayer and Finland’s Orion gain clearance for their androgen receptor inhibitor for prostate cancer.

The CLL market segment in the EU will now include a first-line combination therapy of AbbVie’s venetoclax and Roche’s obinutuzumab, which has recently been approved by the European Commission.

Research published in JAMA shows that the pharmaceutical industry outpaces other industries in the S&P 500 on several measures of profitability. 

Alnylam’s short-interfering RNA, Givlaari, has become the first treatment to be approved for preventing attacks of acute hepatic porphyria in the EU, and Alnylam wants to pursue a value-based agreement framework to accelerate patient and provider access.

Industry advisers at the BIO CEO & Investor meeting remained optimistic about the pharmaceutical deal environment in 2020 – even with the uncertainty around a looming US election year. 

Top-line Phase III results from Incyte’s TruE-AD2 study of ruxolitinib cream and Eli Lilly’s BREEZE-AD4 and BREEZE-AD5 studies of oral baricitinib show that the compounds achieved primary endpoints in atopic dermatitis, and they may eventually challenge Sanofi’s Dupixent’s growth in the sector.

Lilly, Allergan and Biohaven plan to launch oral drugs for on-demand treatment of migraine attacks in the first quarter, hoping to harness a large market where new preventive therapies are already competing for patients.

Aimovig, Emgality and Ajovy have been on the market for more than a year, but are still far from blockbusters even though millions of patients are eligible for treatment – and at least one new competitor is coming.

The introduction of gene therapies has been the highest-profile new modality to reach the market, but new RNA-based therapeutics hold significant potential and could be more accessible for patients. Scrip reviews the leading drug developers in this space.