At an Extraordinary General Meeting, Novartis shareholders approved the proposed 100% Spin-off of Sandoz, the Generics and Biosimilars business of Novartis.

Shareholders also approved an ordinary capital decrease of the share capital of Novartis AG in the amount of the share capital of Sandoz.

A cancer drug could play an important role in limiting the damaging effects of lung disease in COVID-19 patients, thanks to new research at Hudson Institute of Medical Research.

The body's inflammatory response to infection is important in controlling viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, but when inflammation gets out of control the effects can be lethal.

In recent years, cancer researchers have hailed the arrival of chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) therapy, which has delivered promising results, transforming the fight against various forms of cancer. The process involves modifying patients' T-cells to target cancer cells, resulting in remarkable success rates for previously intractable forms of cancer.

Six CAR T cell therapies have secured FDA approval, and several more are in the pipeline.

Vividion Therapeutics, Inc. (Vividion), announced today that it has initiated dosing of patients in a Phase I oncology clinical trial of its investigational oral Kelch-like ECH Associated Protein 1 (KEAP1) activator, VVD-130037. Vividion is a biopharmaceutical company utilizing novel discovery technologies to unlock high value, traditionally undruggable targets with precision therapeutics for devastating cancers and immune disorders, and a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of Bayer AG.

Cells are capable of translating mechanical changes into biological responses. This process is known as mechanotransduction and plays a fundamental role in the progression of solid tumors, such as breast cancer.

It is well-established that a common mechanical alteration in cancer progression involves tissue hardening.

GSK and Save the Children have announced today that they are renewing their award-winning partnership for a further five years. GSK will invest £15 million in the partnership with Save the Children and they will work together to increase child vaccination rates, with a focus on reducing the number of 'zero dose' children in Ethiopia and Nigeria.

Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) identify a new and surprising function of a membrane protein on the surface of cancer cells: It supports and stabilizes an important "co-stimulatory" factor that enhances the activation of T cells, thus improving the immune response against the tumor. The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the Netherlands Cancer Institute.

A natural compound found in the culinary spice turmeric may be as effective as omeprazole - a drug used to curb excess stomach acid - for treating indigestion symptoms, suggests the first study of its kind, published online in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine.

Turmeric is derived from the root of the Curcuma longa plant. It contains a naturally active compound called curcumin thought to have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, and has long been used as a medicinal remedy, including for the treatment of indigestion, in South East Asia.

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took action approving and authorizing for emergency use updated COVID-19 vaccines formulated to more closely target currently circulating variants and to provide better protection against serious consequences of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death. Today's actions relate to updated mRNA vaccines for 2023-2024 manufactured by ModernaTX Inc. and Pfizer Inc.

Many people with diseases such as cancer or diabetes or those who have had a heart attack or stroke also suffer from depression. How effective are antidepressants for these patients? And are they just as safe for these people as for those without physical health problems? Researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Aarhus University in Denmark have teamed up to investigate these questions.

A free online tool could potentially save some prostate cancer patients more than $9,000 in out-of-pocket drug costs, a new study finds.

For patients enrolled in Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, out of pocket costs can vary significantly. But by using an online Medicare plan finder tool, patients can compare pricing among all Part D drug plans offered in their area and select the most affordable plan.

Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced that the Phase III ALINA study evaluating Alecensa® (alectinib), compared with platinum-based chemotherapy, met its primary endpoint of disease-free survival (DFS) at a prespecified interim analysis. Alecensa demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in DFS as adjuvant therapy in people with completely resected stage IB (tumour ≥4cm) to IIIA (UICC/AJCC 7th edition) anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

A new cancer therapy developed by Purdue University researchers attacks tumors by tricking cancer cells into absorbing a snippet of RNA that naturally blocks cell division. As reported in Oncogene, tumors treated with the new therapy did not increase in size over the course of a 21-day study, while untreated tumors tripled in size over the same time period.

Cancer can begin almost anywhere in the human body. It is characterized by cells that divide uncontrollably and that may be able to ignore signals to die or stop dividing, and even evade the immune system.

For roughly 80% of breast cancer survivors, treatment doesn’t end with surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Instead, for the next five to 10 years, doctors recommend that they take medication to block sex hormones, which can fuel tumor growth and spark recurrence.

The drugs are life-saving: They've been shown to cut risk of cancer recurrence by as much as half in patients with hormone receptor-positive tumors (HR+) - the most common form of breast cancer.

Cholesterol-lowering statins might protect patients with ulcerative colitis from developing and dying from colorectal cancer. Statin treatment was also associated with a lower risk of death regardless of cause in patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease. This is according to a study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published in eClinicalMedicine.

Gamma delta T cells, a special type of cell in the immune system, are incredibly effective at recognizing and killing cancer cells. Cancer patients with higher levels of these T cells in their tumors tend to fare better than those with lower levels. But scientists have struggled to understand exactly how gamma delta T cells can recognize cancerous cells, and how new cancer therapies may be able to take advantage of these powerful immune cells.

Bayer AG and BlueRock Therapeutics LP, a clinical stage cell therapy company and wholly owned independently operated subsidiary of Bayer AG, announced today details of the positive data from the Phase I clinical trial for bemdaneprocel (BRT-DA01), a stem cell derived investigational therapy for treating Parkinson's disease. The data were presented at the International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders® in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Findings from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research reveal a new Australian drug that targets scar-like 'fibrotic' tissue within tumours shows promise for treating pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, one of the most aggressive forms of pancreatic cancer with a five-year survival rate of less than 10%.

The research in mouse models showed that when given in combination with chemotherapy, the drug PXS-5505 increased survival time by more than 35%, compared to chemotherapy treatment alone.

Novartis announced that it has completed its acquisition of Chinook Therapeutics, Inc., a Seattle, WA, based biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of precision medicines for kidney diseases, in a transaction valued at up to USD 3.5 billion.

A new fund to fast-track patient access to potentially valuable new medicines may incentivise the pharmaceutical industry to develop high priced drugs for rare diseases with weak evidence on clinical benefits.

Health economics and policy academics from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, warn that if the NHS England Innovative Medicines Fund (IMF) is not implemented appropriately, it risks disincentivising the generation of essential evidence and could shift the financial burden from the pharmaceutical industry to the public finances.