Sanofi has agreed to acquire Bioverativ, a company created from the spin-off of Biogen’s global hemophilia business, for approximately $11.6 billion. The move expands Sanofi’s position in specialty care and rare diseases. Read More

Celgene has agreed to acquire Juno Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing cancer immunotherapies, for approximately $9 billion. The key asset from Juno is a chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) therapy for treating large B-cell lymphoma, which Celgene expects US regulatory approval for in 2019 with potential global peak sales of approximately $3 billion. Read More

Teva is planning more than 200 job cuts in 2018 at certain sites in Pennsylvania. The company announced in December 2017 a two-year restructuring plan that includes a reduction of 25% of its workforce or 14,000 positions globally, closures or divestments of R&D facilities and offices, and a $3-billion reduction in its annual costs. Read More

AbbVie plans to invest EUR 113.6 million ($139 million) to expand its manufacturing facility in Sligo, Ireland to support its oncology pipeline. The $139-million investment is for new sterile manufacturing technology at the company’s Ballytivnan, Sligo site . Read More

The European Commission (EC) has granted Amgen and Allergan marketing authorization for Mvasi (bevacizumab), a biosimilar to Roche’s Avastin (bevacizumab), for treating several types of cancer. Avastin had 2016 global sales of CHF 6.78 billion ($7.04 billion). Read More

Novartis’ Sandoz has partnered with Biocon, a Bangalore, India-based pharmaceutical company, to develop, manufacture, and commercialize multiple biosimilars in immunology and oncology. Read More

The US Senate has confirmed Alex Azar, a former executive at Eli Lilly and Company, as Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Azar also was formerly HHS Deputy Secretary and General Counsel. Read More

The FDA has outlined new and revised draft guidances that the agency plans to publish in 2018. It plans to publish guidances on several topics, including: pharmaceutical quality/chemistry, manufacturing, and controls, generic drugs, user fees, and gene therapies. Read More

Almac Group, a Craigavon, Ireland-based CDMO, plans to invest £30 million ($41 million) for a quality control laboratory and packaging facility for commercial drug products and a distribution center for clinical trial material supply at its facility in Dundalk, Ireland. Read More

Astellas Pharma has completed its previously announced acquisition of Mitobridge, a company developing small-molecule therapeutics that improve mitochondrial functions, for up to $450 million. The therapeutic focus of a previous pact between the companies involves drug candidates with the potential to treat genetic, metabolic, or neurodegenerative disorders as well as conditions of aging. Read More