PharmaFocus Today – Page 9 – media

Another billion-dollar order in the respiratory field!

On July 28, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) acquired the global exclusive rights (excluding Mainland China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan) of Hengrui Medicine’s PDE3/4 inhibitor HRS-9821 project and the exclusive option for global exclusive licensing of up to 11 projects for a total transaction amount of up to US$12.5 billion. Just two weeks ago, Merck acquired Verona Pharma for US$10 billion. Its core asset is Ohtuvayre (Ensifentrine), the world’s first PDE3/4 inhibitor. These two billion-dollar transactions, centered on PDE3/4 inhibitors, suddenly ignited the global battle for respiratory therapy. According to Hengrui Medicine’s announcement, GSK will pay Hengrui a down payment of US$500 million. If all projects are exercised and all milestones are achieved, Hengrui will be eligible to receive a potential total of approximately US$12 billion in future payments based on successful development, registration and sales milestones. Hengrui will be entitled to receive corresponding tiered sales ...
- Source: drugdu
- 42
- July 29, 2025
Should the clinical use of etomidate and research on its derivatives be stopped?

Recently, a commentary article in the British Journal of Anaesthesia, “Etomidate and its derivatives: time to say goodbye?” [1], has attracted the interest of top experts in the field of anesthesia. The debate over the survival of etomidate, the “pioneer of anesthesia,” has unfolded in the journal. Behind the advocacy of giving up who played a key role in the clinical research of remimazolam [2,3,4] and was formerly the Director of the Council of the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Vice-Chairman of the Council of the Society of Anaesthesiologists of Great Britain and Ireland, and his collaborators argued in the article “Etomidate and its derivatives: time to say goodbye?” that etomidate is not competitive with propofol and remimazolam and that the use of etomidate and research on its derivatives should be stopped. He claimed that etomidate not only inhibits adrenal cortex hormones, but also easily induces myoclonus. In the more ...
- Source: drugdu
- 45
- July 29, 2025
Hypothyroidism Linked to Gut Microbiome Disturbances

People with hypothyroidism show significantly higher levels of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and key bacterial distinctions than those without the thyroid condition, according to results of a study. “[The research] supports the idea that improving gut health could have far-reaching effects beyond digestion, possibly even helping to prevent autoimmune diseases, such as Hashimoto thyroiditis,” said senior author Ruchi Mathur, MD, director of the Diabetes Outpatient Treatment and Education Center and director of Clinical Operations of Medically Associated Science and Technology, at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, in a press statement for the study, which was presented at ENDO 2025: The Endocrine Society Annual Meeting. “These findings open the door to new screening and prevention strategies,” Mathur added. “For example, doctors may begin to monitor thyroid health more closely in patients with SIBO, and vice versa.” With some small studies previously suggesting an association between the gut microbiome and hypothyroidism, Mathur ...
- Source: drugdu
- 134
- July 28, 2025
Another new Chinese ED drug is approved , effective in 30 minutes

Recently, the National Medical Products Administration approved the marketing of Selenafil Hydrochloride Tablets (trade name: Angweida), a Class 1 innovative drug applied for by Suzhou Wangshan Wangshui Biological, for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). It is worth mentioning that it takes effect quickly, takes effect within 30 minutes after oral administration, and has a long duration of efficacy, with a half-life of 8 to 11 hours. In addition, the efficacy of Onvida is not affected when taken with moderate alcoholic beverages, which solves the social dilemma that has plagued ED patients for many years. Impressive performance As early as ten years ago, Wangshan Wangshui Biological turned its attention to the ED drug market, which was then monopolized by multinational pharmaceutical companies. The research team drew inspiration from flavonoid natural products and, after numerous screenings and structural optimizations, finally obtained a highly active and highly selective phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitor ...
- Source: drugdu
- 2,183
- July 28, 2025
Bedaquiline Fumarate API Approved for Marketing, Enriching Anti-TB Drug Product Line

Hisun Pharmaceutical(600267) announced on the evening of July 23 that the company recently received the approval notice for the marketing application of bedaquiline fumarate raw material issued by the State Food and Drug Administration. It is reported that bedaquiline fumarate is a diarylquinoline antimycobacterial drug, which is used as a combination therapyIt is a part of the FDA’s FDA-approved drug, which is suitable for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in adults and adolescents (12 years old to 30 kg). The original manufacturer is Xi’an Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Currently, major domestic manufacturers include Hisun Pharmaceuticals and Simcere Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. The IQVIA database shows that the global sales volume of this raw material in 2024 will be approximately 1,482.57 kilograms, of which approximately 151.08 kilograms will be sold domestically; the global sales volume in January-March 2025 will be approximately 167.39 kilograms, of which approximately 37.43 kilograms will be sold domestically. Looking ...
- Source: drugdu
- 100
- July 25, 2025
Huadong Medicine’s subsidiary’s Caspofungin Acetate for Injection approved by the U.S. FDA

On July 23, Huadong MedicineThe company issued an announcement stating that its wholly-owned subsidiary Hangzhou Sino-US Huadong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Sino-US Huadong”) received a notice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (hereinafter referred to as “FDA”) that the Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for caspofungin acetate injection submitted by Sino-US Huadong to the FDA has been approved. Caspofungin is an echinocandin that is active against the active cell growth sites of Candida and Aspergillus hyphae. It is currently clinically approved for the treatment of specific fungal infections such as Candida infections and invasive aspergillosis in adult patients and pediatric patients (3 months and older). https://finance.eastmoney.com/a/202507233465347927.html
- Source: drugdu
- 147
- July 25, 2025
Good news from AstraZeneca

Today (July 24), AstraZeneca announced that its Gefurulimab achieved significant efficacy in the Phase III PREVAIL clinical trial for adult patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG). Generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) is a rare, debilitating, chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease characterized by loss of muscle function and severe weakness. Gefurulimab is a mini bispecific antibody (25kD) that contains an antibody heavy chain variable region targeting C5 and an antibody fragment that specifically binds to albumin. Its smaller molecular weight gives it better tissue penetration, and binding to albumin can prolong its half-life, making it a once-weekly subcutaneous injection therapy. In the Phase III PREVAIL clinical trial, Gefurulimab showed significant efficacy in adult patients with gMG who were positive for anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies. Compared with placebo, Gefurulimab showed statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in the total score of the Myasthenia Gravis Activities of Daily Living Scale (MG-ADL) at week 26. In ...
- Source: drugdu
- 91
- July 25, 2025
A breakthrough in the cure of hepatitis B is in sight, and the share prices of leading pharmaceutical companies have doubled

Once upon a time, “hepatitis B is incurable” was a heavy burden on countless patients. But more and more innovative therapies indicate that the era of clinical cure for hepatitis B is about to begin. Recently, Cosun’s innovative hepatitis B drug projects have achieved key breakthroughs one after another: GST-HG141 (nericovir) started Phase III clinical trials, marking a key step towards the drug’s market launch and is expected to become a new milestone drug for hepatitis B worldwide; GST-HG131 was included in the list of breakthrough therapy products, becoming Cosun’s second innovative drug in the field of hepatitis B treatment to be recognized as a breakthrough therapy. As a result, Guangshengtang’s stock closing price increased by more than 100% for 10 consecutive trading days from July 3 to July 16. Aiming to cure hepatitis B, Guangshengtang starts a comeback Guangshengtang once dominated the Chinese liver disease market with its three ...
- Source: drugdu
- 155
- July 25, 2025
A new hotspot in the innovative drug market

After a long period of financial difficulties, French biotech company Abivax announced positive top-line results from two Phase III studies (ABTECT-1 and ABTECT-2) of its microRNA (miRNA) drug Obefazimod (ABX464) for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC). Obefazimod is an oral, first-in-class enhancer of miR-124 (an anti-inflammatory miRNA) developed by Abivax. ABTECT-1 (Study 105) and ABTECT-2 (Study 106) included a total of 1,275 patients worldwide. The enrollment population was balanced, and 47.3% of the subjects had insufficient responses to previous advanced therapies (biological agents/JAK inhibitors, etc.), including the largest JAK inhibitor failure population in Phase III UC trials to date. The primary endpoint was the clinical remission rate based on the modified Mayo score after 8 weeks of treatment. The results showed that in the pooled analysis of the two trials, the placebo-corrected clinical remission rate of 50 mg of obefazimod once daily reached 16.4% (p<0.0001). At the same time, ...
- Source: drugdu
- 119
- July 25, 2025
More than 3,000 cases confirmed! No specific medicine! Are we ready for Chikungunya virus?

Recently, Diana Alvarez, head of the WHO’s arbovirus team, said that the transmission of Chikungunya virus has been found in 119 countries and regions, about 5.5 million people are at risk of this mosquito-borne virus, and a large-scale epidemic may occur. Confirmed cases have appeared in China. Since July, Guangdong has reported cases of Chikungunya virus infection. As of July 22, the number of infected cases has exceeded 3,000, and this number is still rising. Chikungunya virus, a once ignored “hidden threat”, is now spreading at an alarming rate in some parts of China, posing a challenge to public health security. Faced with this sudden outbreak, people can’t help but feel anxious and uneasy: What exactly is the Chikungunya virus? What is the progress of vaccines and special medicines? What is Chikungunya virus? The name of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) comes from the Makonde language in Tanzania, Africa, which means “bent ...
- Source: drugdu
- 129
- July 25, 2025

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