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The logo of Swiss drugmaker Roche is seen at its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsZURICH, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Roche (ROG.S) agreed to take over obesity drug developer Carmot Therapeutics (CRMO.O) for $2.7 billion, joining a list global contestants seeking to challenge the dominant makers of weight-loss drugs Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) and Eli Lilly. After encouraging Phase I trial results, the drug is ready to be tested on humans in the second of three trial stages, Roche added. Among recent deals to acquire obesity drug development projects, AstraZeneca (AZN.L) last month agreed to pay up to $2 billion for the rights to an experimental pill from China's Eccogene. Roche will obtain access to Carmot's current R&D portfolio including all clinical and preclinical assets.

Persons: drugmaker Roche, Arnd, ROG.S, Eli Lilly, Swiss drugmaker, Roche, . New Roche, Thomas Schinecker, Ludwig Burger, Noel Illien, Rachel More, Louise Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Carmot Therapeutics, Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Thomson Locations: Basel, Switzerland, Swiss, ., Alzheimer's

☆ Roche’s late obesity punt offers wider market cure
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Roche’s (ROG.S) foray into the prospective $100 billion obesity market can bring wider benefits. On Monday, the $224 billion Swiss pharma group said it had agreed to take over weight-loss drug developer Carmot Therapeutics for $2.7 billion. Market leader Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) is already selling obesity drugs in the U.S. and parts of Europe. Still, Schinecker’s obesity bet could turn successful if it ends up undercutting obesity pioneers on prices. With over 1 billion people globally classed as seriously overweight, other drugmakers will follow Roche on the obesity bandwagon.

Persons: drugmaker Roche, Arnd, Eli Lilly’s, Thomas Schinecker, Eli Lilly, Eccogene, Roche, Aimee Donnellan, Neiman Marcus, Lisa Jucca, Oliver Taslic Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Swiss pharma, Carmot Therapeutics, Novo Nordisk, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, AstraZeneca, Novo, X, Saks, Thomson Locations: Basel, Switzerland, U.S, Europe, Hong Kong

New Roche CEO Thomas Schinecker is keen to restore Roche's battered drug development record after major late-stage trial setbacks in the areas of Alzheimer's and cancer immunotherapy last year. The acquired drug, against inflammatory bowel disease such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, belongs to a class of new treatments known as anti-TL1A antibodies which has attracted major deal activity in the pharma industry. Merck & Co (MRK.N) in April agreed to buy anti-TL1A antibody developer Prometheus Biosciences for $10.8 billion. Inflammatory bowel disease is a group of chronic gastrointestinal disorders with almost 8 million people diagnosed worldwide and 80% of all individuals not experiencing lasting remission, Roche said. "We strongly believe this novel TL1A directed antibody has the transformational potential to make a significant difference for patients living with inflammatory bowel disease and potentially other diseases," said Roche CEO Schinecker.

Persons: drugmaker Roche, Arnd, New Roche, Thomas Schinecker, Schinecker, Roche, John Revill, Ludwig Burger, Friederike Heine, Jason Neely Organizations: REUTERS, Roivant Holdings, Pfizer Inc, pharma, Sanofi, Merck & Co, Prometheus Biosciences, Thomson Locations: Basel, Switzerland, ZURICH, FRANKFURT, Swiss, U.S, Japan, Zurich, Frankfurt

☆ Royalty Pharma to pay $1 bln for Roche's SMA drug royalties
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Swiss drugmaker Roche is seen at its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland February 1, 2018. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 19 (Reuters) - Royalty Pharma (RPRX.O) said on Thursday it has purchased additional royalties on Roche (ROG.S) and PTC Therapeutics' (PTCT.O) oral spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) drug for an upfront payment of $1 billion. Spinal muscular atrophy, a leading genetic cause of infant deaths, prevents the body from producing a protein necessary for neuromuscular development. The deal also includes options for PTC to sell up to all of its retained royalties on Evrysdi for up to $500 million at a later date, Royalty Pharma said. Royalty Pharma expects to fund the transaction with a combination of existing cash and about $350 million from its revolving credit facility.

Persons: drugmaker Roche, Arnd, Roche, Mariam Sunny, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: REUTERS, Royalty Pharma, PTC Therapeutics, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, PTC, Thomson Locations: Basel, Switzerland, Bengaluru

☆ Roche's Q3 sales down 3% on currency headwinds, drop in COVID sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Ludwig Burger | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Quarterly sales came in at 14.3 billion Swiss francs ($15.9 billion), the Swiss drugs and diagnostics maker said in a statement, broadly in line with analyst estimates. A high-dose version of Eylea for less frequent injections won U.S. approval in August, creating doubt among analysts that a string of forecast-beating Vabysmo sales can continue. CEO Thomas Schinecker - who is keen to restore Roche's drug development record - said he was looking to acquire drug assets in all stages of development but that there was no rush. He pointed to 10% sales growth during the quarter, excluding currency headwinds and the slump in COVID sales. However, it predicted a less pronounced decline in sales of COVID-19 products of about 4.5 billion Swiss francs, from a previous estimate of a drop of 5 billion francs.

Persons: drugmaker Roche, Arnd, Roche, Regeneron, Thomas Schinecker, Schinecker, Ludwig Burger, Friederike Heine, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: REUTERS, Bayer, Thomson Locations: Basel, Switzerland, COVID, Swiss

☆ Pakistan probes distributors of Roche cancer drug after patients go blind
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Mubasher Bukhari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLAHORE, Pakistan, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Pakistan said on Monday it was investigating two local distributors of Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche's (ROG.S) Avastin cancer drug after 12 diabetic patients injected with the drug went blind. The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) said the health authorities in Punjab, the most populous province, had launched the investigation into local use of the drug Avastin, which is licensed for use in Pakistan. On its website, Roche said Avastin was approved in more than 130 countries, including the United States, to treat several types of cancer. Cancer drug Avastin, when used at much lower doses, is similar to eye drug Lucentis and is used in many countries as a low-cost option to treat certain blindness-causing conditions. In its statement, Roche said: "Avastin is not approved for any use in the eye.

Persons: drugmaker Roche, Arnd, Javed Akram, Akram, Roche, Avastin, Alam, Mubasher Bukhari, Ariba Shahid, Ludwig Burger, Miral Fahmy, Alex Richardson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan, Reuters, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Basel, Switzerland, Rights LAHORE, Pakistan, Swiss, Punjab, United States, counterfeits, Avastin, Lahore, Karachi, Frankfurt

☆ Europe markets open lower as investors digest earnings and U.S. rating downgrade
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

A subsidiary of Swiss drugmaker Roche, Genentech, accused a Novartis unit, Sandoz, of infringing one of its patents, according to a complaint filed in a New Jersey court Monday. The patent covers the drug Esbriet, which is used as a treatment for certain types of lung disease. Genentech said in the complaint that Sandoz's breach of the patent was "knowing, reckless, and willful" and had resulted in "significant damage " to its company. Roche has previously attempted to sue Sandoz over the same drug, but the lawsuit was thrown out in March 2022 after a U.S. judge found that parts of the Genentech patents were invalid. Shares in both Roche and Novartis were down 1.4% in the first hour of trading.

Persons: Swiss drugmaker Roche, Genentech, Roche, Sandoz, — Hannah Ward, Glenton Organizations: Swiss, Novartis Locations: New Jersey, U.S, Roche

☆ Roche Q1 sales decline tempered by swift uptake of new eye drug
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Ludwig Burger | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The logo of Swiss drugmaker Roche is seen at its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland January 30, 2020. Quarterly group revenue fell to 15.3 billion Swiss francs ($17.2 billion), the company reported on Wednesday, beating market expectations of 14.8 billion francs. The company, which does not report earnings for its first and third quarter, reiterated that pandemic-related sales - mainly lab testing, antibody treatment Ronapreve and repurposed arthritis drug Actemra - would drop by 5 billion francs this year. "We are very happy with the very rapid and significant uptake in the different markets around the world," he said on a media call. Sales and core earnings per share were still expected to decrease at a "low single-digit" percentage in 2023, the pharmaceuticals and diagnostics company added.

☆ Roche Q1 sales down 7% as COVID-related business wanes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

April 26 (Reuters) - Swiss drugmaker Roche (ROG.S) said first-quarter sales dropped 7% on falling demand for its COVID-19 therapies and diagnostics kits. Quarterly group revenue fell to 15.3 billion Swiss francs ($17.2 billion), the company reported on Wednesday, beating market expectations of 14.8 billion francs. The company does not report earnings for its first and third quarter. Reporting by Ludwig Burger, editing by Kirsti KnolleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Increasingly, they said conversations in C-suites and with financiers had turned to the risks that climate change presented to businesses. Climate activist Greta Thunberg made the journey up the Swiss Alps to call on the global energy industry and its financiers to end all fossil fuel investments. Suni Harford, the president of UBS's asset management arm who leads the bank's sustainability efforts, said her conversations at Davos suggested no let up in focus on climate, despite the shorter-term pressures. "Clients are becoming ever more informed on the energy transition, demand for sustainable and green products has held up well, and clients are increasingly looking to measure the impact of their portfolios." "Put forward credible and transparent transition plans on how to achieve net zero – and submit those plans before the end of this year," Guterres said in a speech.

☆ European shares at near two-week high amid UK fiscal plan optimism
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Amruta Khandekar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The region-wide STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) was up 0.9% by 0826 GMT, hitting a near two-week high, as investors snapped up beaten-down tech (.SX8P) and bank (.SX7P) stocks. Shares of chipmakers, including ASML Holdings (ASML.AS) and BE Semiconductor (BESI.AS), rose between 0.9% and 4% amid a risk-on sentiment in markets. "If you make that U-turn too extreme and basically embark on a trajectory of significant fiscal tightening, that could also do more more harm. Investors also took comfort from a recent pullback in natural gas prices in Europe, which is battling an energy crisis amid growing risks of a recession. Rio Tinto (RIO.L) slipped 0.7% after it projected annual iron ore shipments at the lower end of its forecast amid weak global demand.

☆ GSK picks Burberry's Brown as CFO
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterGSK (GlaxoSmithKline) logo is seen in this illustration, August 10, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/SummarySummary Companies Brown to join GSK in April, start as CFO in MayCFO Iain Mackay to retireSept 26 (Reuters) - GSK (GSK.L) named luxury fashion brand Burberry's (BRBY.L) Julie Brown as its new chief financial officer on Monday to succeed Iain Mackay, at a time when the British drugmaker is sharpening focus on its core business. The change comes after GSK spun off its large consumer business, Haleon (HLN.L), to focus on prescription drugs and vaccines. Burberry had said on Friday that Brown would step down as its CFO and chief operating officer in April to take up a role outside the luxury industry. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Amna Karimi and Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Mackay, 60, will be retiring next year after serving as GSK's finance chief for nearly four years, following an eight-year stint as group finance director at the bank HSBC. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterBrown, also 60, will join GSK in April and take up the job in May. She also served in several finance roles at AstraZeneca (AZN.L), which last year also appointed a female CFO, Aradhana Sarin. With Emma Walmsley as GSK's chief executive officer, Brown's appointment also creates a rare, all-female top management at a blue-chip (.FTSE) British company and a global pharma major. Brown will receive an annual base salary of more than 900,000 pounds at GSK, the company said.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterGSK (GlaxoSmithKline) logo is seen in this illustration, August 10, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/SummarySummary Companies Brown to join GSK in AprilIain Mackay to retire in MaySept 26 (Reuters) - Britain's GSK (GSK.L) has appointed its first female chief financial officer, Julie Brown, to succeed Iain Mackay, as the drugmaker focuses on its core pharmaceuticals business. With Emma Walmsley as GSK's chief executive, Brown's appointment also creates a rare, all-female top management at a blue-chip (.FTSE) British company and a global pharma major. Mackay, 60, will retire next year after almost four years as GSK's finance chief, before which he completed an eight-year stint as group finance director at HSBC. She also served in several finance roles at AstraZeneca (AZN.L), which last year appointed a female CFO, Aradhana Sarin.

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