MedImmune creates stand-alone company for early-stage inflammation and autoimmunity biologics
AstraZeneca today announced that its global biologics research and development arm, MedImmune, is spinning out six molecules from its early-stage inflammation and autoimmunity programmes into an independent biotech company, Viela Bio. The new company will focus on developing medicines for severe autoimmune diseases by targeting the underlying causes of each disease.
It’s official: AstraZeneca and MedImmune ranked a top place for scientists to work by Science
AstraZeneca and MedImmune, its global biologics research and development arm, have been voted one of the top science employers worldwide, in the prestigious Science 2017 Top Employers Survey.
High tech collaboration reveals the dynamic structure of ATM
An advanced cryo-electron microscope allows AstraZeneca and Laboratory for Molecular Biology (LMB) scientists in Cambridge to uncover ground-breaking insights into a prime therapeutic target in cancer.
AstraZeneca and Pieris Pharmaceuticals collaborate on treatments for respiratory diseases
AstraZeneca has announced a strategic collaboration in respiratory diseases with Pieris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to develop novel inhaled drugs that leverage Pieris’ Anticalin® platform. Anticalin molecules are engineered proteins which can mimic antibodies by binding to sites either on other proteins or on small molecules. They are smaller than monoclonal antibodies, offering the potential of…
AstraZeneca's bladder cancer drug gets FDA approval
AstraZeneca and its global biologics research and development arm, MedImmune, today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval to Imfinzi (durvalumab).
Tagrisso receives full approval in the EU
AstraZeneca today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted full marketing authorisation for Tagrisso (osimertinib) 40mg and 80mg once-daily tablets for the treatment of adult patients with locally-advanced or metastatic epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
AstraZeneca's key milestone: ‘topping out’ of new global R&D centre and HQ in Cambridge UK
Latest milestone since AstraZeneca moved its global HQ and strategic science hub to Cambridge, UK, where the company already has 2,000 employees
Lynparza meets primary endpoint in Phase III trial in BRCA-mutated metastatic breast cancer
AstraZeneca’s breast cancer treatment, Lynparza (olaparib), provided a statistically-significant improvement in progression-free survival compared to chemotherapy in the first positive randomised trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a PARP inhibitor beyond ovarian cancer.
AstraZeneca and Lilly to develop treatment for Alzheimer’s disease
AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly and Company have announced a worldwide agreement to co-develop MEDI1814, an antibody selective for amyloid-beta 42 (Aβ42), which is currently in Phase I trials as a potential disease-modifying treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This agreement builds on the existing collaboration related to AZD3293, a BACE inhibitor in two pivotal Phase III trials.
Repositive and AstraZeneca announce members of PDX consortium
Repositive, a software company developing novel tools to improve discovery and access to human genomic research data, and AstraZeneca have announced the inaugural members of the PDX Consortium, which was set up to develop a collaborative, pre-competitive resource, to provide streamlined discovery and access to molecular data from Patient Derived Xenografts (PDXs) for use within oncology research.
AstraZeneca takes latest scientific advances in oncology to major US And European congresses
AstraZeneca and its global biologics research and development arm, MedImmune, will continue the oncology momentum built during 2016 with a strong end-of-year presence at three major congresses.
AstraZeneca climbs eight positions in Access to Medicine Index
The highest climber in the 2016 Index, AstraZeneca is now ranked seventh overall in providing access to medicine.
AstraZeneca purchases US facility to support biologics manufacturing capabilities
AstraZeneca announced that it has purchased a biologics manufacturing facility in Longmont, Colorado, USA, from Amgen Inc. This facility will be used to support AstraZeneca’s existing operations at its nearby Boulder site also purchased from Amgen in September of 2015.
Can ‘drag and drop’ cancer simulation speed up drug discovery?
Drug discovery scientists at AstraZeneca are working with Cambridge neighbours at Microsoft Research to develop new ‘drag and drop’ computer modelling of key signalling pathways in cancer cells, which may dramatically reduce the need for ‘wet’ lab experiments to bring truly personalised treatment to patients.
Trials show positive results in severe asthma for AstraZeneca's biologic medicine
AstraZeneca’s first biologic respiratory medicine met primary and key secondary endpoints in pivotal trials for severe asthma.
AstraZeneca completes commercialisation agreement with Aspen for anaesthetics portfolio
AstraZeneca announced that it has completed* the commercialisation agreement with Aspen Global Incorporated (AGI), part of the Aspen Group, for rights to its global anaesthetics portfolio outside the US.
AstraZeneca to sell small molecule antibiotics business to Pfizer
AstraZeneca today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Pfizer Inc. to sell the commercialisation and development rights to its late-stage small molecule antibiotics business in most markets globally outside the US*.
AstraZeneca receives approval in the EU for Type 2 diabetes medicine
AstraZeneca announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved Qtern (saxagliptin/dapagliflozin) tablets for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in all 28 EU member countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The fixed-dose combination of saxagliptin and dapagliflozin is the first DPP-4i/SGLT-2i combination product to be approved in Europe.
New antibiotic Zavicefta approved in the EU for patients with serious bacterial infections
AstraZeneca has announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorisation for Zavicefta (ceftazidime-avibactam, previously known as CAZ AVI), a new combination antibiotic for the treatment of patients with serious Gram-negative bacterial infections requiring hospitalisation.
MRC Technology and AstraZeneca call for epigenetic targets in respiratory disease
MRC Technology (MRCT), a medical research charity, and AstraZeneca, a global biopharmaceutical company, are launching an initiative to find new epigenetic drug targets in respiratory disease. MRCT and AstraZeneca are now seeking academics with relevant epigenetics targets to collaborate with them to develop novel treatments for respiratory diseases, which affect millions of people every year.
AstraZeneca presents positive new data on treatment for lupus disease
AstraZeneca and its global biologics research and development arm, MedImmune, announced that they will present positive new data on anifrolumab, an investigational monoclonal antibody that blocks all type 1 interferons, being developed to treat moderate to severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, or lupus), at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2016), taking place in London this…
AstraZeneca presents latest data for ovarian cancer medicine Lynparza (olaparib)
At the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) congress in Chicago this weekend, AstraZeneca presented results from a third interim analysis of Study 19 that suggest an improvement in overall survival (OS) for patients with ovarian cancer treated with Lynparza (olaparib) maintenance therapy following platinum-based chemotherapy.
AstraZeneca’s Faslodex for breast cancer shows positive results in Phase III trial
AstraZeneca has announced positive results from the Phase III FALCON trial comparing Faslodex 500mg (fulvestrant) to Arimidex 1mg (anastrozole) for the treatment of locally-advanced or metastatic breast cancer, in post-menopausal women who have not had prior hormonal treatment for hormone-receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer.
AstraZeneca highlights continued progress of oncology pipeline at ASCO 2016
AstraZeneca and its global biologics research and development arm, MedImmune, will provide an update on their extensive oncology pipeline at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago, USA, on 3-7 June 2016.
AstraZeneca announces positive results for potential new medicine for asthma
AstraZeneca has announced that benralizumab, a potential new medicine and anti-eosinophil monoclonal antibody, was well tolerated and achieved the primary endpoint in two pivotal Phase III registrational trials (SIROCCO and CALIMA), demonstrating significant reductions in the annual asthma exacerbation rate compared to placebo.