September 28, 2018
Novartis has announced staff reductions in manufacturing and business services operations in Switzerland and manufacturing in the UK. The company says the manufacturing moves reflect shifting investment priorities from traditional production technologies to more advanced manufacturing platforms.  Read More
Gilead Sciences plans to launch in the US authorized generic versions of two of its top-selling drugs to treat chronic hepatitis C virus, Epclusa (sofosbuvir/velpatasvir) and Harvoni (ledipasvir/sofosbuvir), through a newly created subsidiary, Asegua Therapeutics. Gilead is launching these drugs as authorized generics more than a decade before patent expiration.  Read More
The European Commission has granted marketing authorization for Hulio (adalimumab), a biosimilar to AbbVie's Humira (adalimumab), an anti-inflammatory drug, for all indications, to Mylan and Fujifilm Kyowa Kirin Biologics Co., a biosimilars company formed from Fujifilm. Humira is AbbVie’s top-selling drug with 2017 sales of $18.43 billion.  Read More
Merck & Co. announced that Kenneth C. Frazier, Chairman and CEO, has agreed to remain in his position beyond December 2019, when he turns 65. The company’s Board of Directors rescinded its policy subjecting the company’s CEO to mandatory retirement at age 65 to allow Frazier to continue. Read More
Takeda plans to close its US headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois and move its functions to the Boston area. The move follows Takeda’s proposed $62-billion acquisition of Shire, which is scheduled to be completed in the first half of 2019. Shire, globally headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, has its US headquarters in Lexington, Massachusetts. Read More
Lonza has invested CHF 400 million ($414 million) to add two new biomanufacturing services (Ibex Design and Ibex Develop) from the company’s 100,000-square meter biopark in Visp, Switzerland. The new services provide biomanufacturing options from early development through to full commercialization. Read More
Allergan plans to open its first Medical Aesthetics Innovation Center in Chengdu, China in early 2019. The move is part of a growth strategy for the company’s medical aesthetic business, which is led by one of its top-selling products, Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA), which had 2017 sales of $3.16 billion. Read More
Almirall, a Barcelona-based provider of medicines and medical devices, has closed a deal to acquire a portfolio of five products from Allergan's US Medical Dermatology unit for approximately $550 million. The acquired portfolio includes a new chemical entity and four key mature and growth brands.  Read More
MilliporeSigma has opened a new $20-million, 3,800-square-meter laboratory in Singapore. The new lab complex involves the company’s BioReliance biosafety testing services as well as its M Lab Collaboration Center, which provides non-GMP lab space for training, hands-on demonstrations, and process optimization. Read More
Cambrex, a CMO of small-molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), plans to establish a center of excellence for API clinical supply and process development at its site in High Point, North Carolina. AGC Biologics, a biologics CDMO, plans to establish a new process development and manufacturing facility in Chiba, Japan. Read More
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical company, has agreed to acquire Syntimmune, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing antibody therapeutics for rare diseases, in a deal worth up to $1.2 billion.  Read More
Top Industry News is published and distributed by the Drug, Chemical & Associated Technologies Association (DCAT). The DCAT organization recognizes its members have minimal time to keep up with the continuous flow of news covering this dynamic industry. To help ensure our members never miss the most important stories impacting the global pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, we will deliver each Friday, the week's Top Industry News, as selected by DCAT Editorial Director Patricia Van Arnum. For more information, visit www.dcat.org .