Drugmaker

• Researchers publishing in JAMA Network Open found that noncitizens in the U.S. have lower screening rates for cervical, colorectal, and breast cancers due to socioeconomic barriers and limited healthcare access. • The FDA has declined to approve 177Lu-edotreotide, an investigational radiotherapeutic for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, citing specific manufacturing issues. • ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE, the drug's manufacturer, announced the regulatory setback, which halts the current path to market for the treatment.

Europe and US risk being outpaced on innovation, as happened in the car industry, warns Pascal SoriotAstraZeneca must operate at “Chinese speed” to ensure it doesn’t suffer the fate of the western automotive industry by losing out to more innovative rivals, the drug company’s boss has said.The FTSE 100 company is watching the rise of China’s pharmaceutical industry closely and collaborating to take drugs to global markets, but its chief executive, Pascal Soriot, said the US and European pharmaceutical sector must focus on increasing the speed of innovation. Continue reading...

Lipfendra can be taken in conjunction with or an alternative to statins, the most prescribed medication in the USSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email The drug giant Merck on Thursday announced it had received FDA approval for a daily pill that can be an alternative to statins for treating high LDL levels, or so-called bad cholesterol. The new pill, Lipfendra, is a version of a drug called a PCSK9 inhibitor.For decades the go-to therapy to treat high cholesterol levels has been statins, the most prescribed medication in the US. But statins come occasionally with side effects like muscle aches and they sometimes don’t drop cholesterol levels enough to meet recommended levels. Continue reading...