This Month
Big pharma sues GenesisCare over Labor-endorsed copycat cancer drug
Swiss pharma giant Novartis is taking legal action against the Australian cancer care provider as a dispute over how to fund and regulate nuclear medicines escalates.
US pharma giant Cosette makes $672m bid for Mayne Pharma
US pharma giant Cosette has offered $7.40 a share for Mayne Pharmaceuticals, a premium to recent trading but a fraction of the $42 it was trading at in 2016.
January
New Chemist Warehouse riches revealed: 53 investors worth over $50m
Exclusive analysis of the share registry has unveiled for the first time just how many millionaires its merger with Sigma will mint.
Drugs from nature help millions. But there’s a catch
Big pharma and others that have made a buck from genetic resources have been asked to funnel some profit back to communities where the organisms come from.
Global pharma giants push for weight-loss drugs to be added to PBS
Eli Lilly will seek to have Mounjaro listed on the scheme this year. If successful, it would mean taxpayer subsidies for the popular obesity treatment.
November 2024
‘Critical milestone’: Chemist Warehouse, Sigma merger clears ACCC hurdle
After several delays, the regulator found the tie-up will not substantially hurt competition, paving the way for the creation of a $28.9 billion sharemarket giant.
October 2024
Pharmacy lobby says Chemist Warehouse concessions are ‘tokenistic’
The influential industry group is urging the competition regulator to reject an $8.8 billion merger with Sigma Healthcare. A decision is due early next month.
Ebos CEO takes swing at $8.8b Chemist Warehouse-Sigma deal
The chief executive of the pharmacy group behind TerryWhite Chemmart says the merger, being assessed by the competition regulator, would harm the health network.
Chemist Warehouse goes to war with card fees – using QR codes
The pharmacy and retailing giant pays $15 million in transaction costs every year. Now it has signed on to a new NAB-backed system that circumvents them.
People are taking a pill to extend their lives. Will it work?
Rapamycin is typically prescribed as an immunosuppressive, but off-label users believe it can do much more.
September 2024
Everyone’s on Ozempic, so why won’t anyone ‘admit’ it?
The fashion world is embracing weight-loss drugs – but very discreetly.
The doctor-turned-CEO aiming to beat Ozempic
Adam Steensberg leads Zealand Pharma, a Danish drug maker whose stock has risen by more than 800 per cent since he took over in 2022.
BlackRock seeds $1.5b laboratory real estate fund
BlackRock is partnering with local private equity firm Wentworth Capital on a “pure play” laboratory fund that has already secured a number of seed assets
ACCC call on Sigma, Chemist Warehouse $8.8b tie-up due in four weeks
Merger plans are tracking in line with expectations, with the competition watchdog to make a final decision on October 24 after a previous delay.
Telix on $1b spending spree to build US radiopharmacy network
The biotech is investing heavily in global networks that will enable it to control the supply and distribution of nuclear medicines used to treat cancer.
Why big pharma wants the government to pay it to make drugs
Drug companies say the government must help pay for new antibiotics people will rarely use. But without them, Australians may die.
August 2024
How this research institute turned cancer success into a $66m VC fund
After banking $US325m from co-developing a blockbuster cancer drug, WEHI has begun making start-up investments seeking scientific breakthroughs from a new $66m fund.
Ozempic could be linked to suicidal thoughts
Novo Nordisk said it will work with regulators to monitor the safety of the medicines, including surveillance of data from ongoing studies and real-world use.
Job-ready skills for the fast-changing workplace
The joint winners of the employability category embed career experience in study programs to give graduates an edge in the competitive job market.
This special paint could save lives from bushfires
New paint technology developed at UNSW to help fire-proof homes is a joint winner in the Higher Education Awards research commercialisation category.