In a move to strengthen its oncology portfolio, Novartis has signed a memorandum of understanding to acquire Advanced Accelerator Applications, a radiopharmaceutical company, for $3.9 billion. Read More

Allergan reported a third-quarter operating loss of $4.02 billion due to impairment charges of $3.2 billion for its top-selling drug, Restasis (cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion), following a setback in patent litigation as well as charges of $1.3 billion relating to its stake in Teva and $640 million for market erosion of its acne drug, Aczone (dapsone). Read More

AbbVie has opened a new biologics manufacturing facility in Singapore as part of a $320-million expansion for small molecule and biologics drug-substance manufacturing. Read More

Catalent has completed its previously announced $950-million acquisition of Cook Pharmica, a CDMO of biologic-based drug substances and parenteral drug products. Read More

Eli Lilly and Company plans to invest $72 million in insulin manufacturing at one of its facilities in Indianapolis, Indiana. The project is part of a $850-million investment in US capital projects that Lilly announced in March 2017. Read More

Sanofi has filed a patent-infringement suit in a federal district court against Mylan over Sanofi’s Lantus (insulin glargine). Lantus had 2016 sales of EUR 5.7 billion ($6.7 billion). Read More

The FDA has issued draft guidance to outline the new user-fee structure under the Generic Drug User Fee Amendments of 2017, which reauthorized generic-drug user fees for FY 2018-2022. Read More

The FDA Commissioner has outlined the use of packaging and storage of opioids as new strategies for how the FDA plans to reduce the scope of the opioid-addiction crisis. Read More

A mutual recognition agreement for manufacturing inspections between the European Union (EU) and the US has entered the operational phase. The agreement enables both EU and US authorities to make better use of their inspection resources and focus on manufacturing sites of higher risk. Read More

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), nine of its member companies, and the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) have partnered to accelerate cancer cures in a five-year research collaboration totaling $215 million under the Cancer Moonshot initiative. Read More