Novartis is buying privately held drugmaker Ziarco Group for an undisclosed sum to gain access to its investigational eczema medicine, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant said on Friday.
The acquisition adds UK-based Ziarco’s once-daily oral H4 receptor antagonist, ZPL389, that is being developed for the chronic, itchy inflammatory skin condition to Novartis’s existing portfolio of approved and investigational dermatological drugs.
“There is an unmet need for innovative, effective and safe oral treatment options for people living with eczema,” Vasant Narasimhan, Novartis’s head of drug development and chief medical officer, said in a statement.
By John Miller
Source: Reuters
Five years ago, GSK made headlines when it hired Emma Walmsley to become the first woman to run a major pharmaceutical company. Now the Big Pharma has brought in another woman to control the company’s finances. Julie Brown will be GSK’s next chief financial officer. Brown, currently the chief operating and financial officer at fashion and beauty brand Burberry Group, is set to replace Iain Mackay.
Moderna created a new role responsible for “building out the company’s organization to support its growing pipeline.” Starting first thing 2023, Juan Andres, Moderna’s manufacturing head, will step into this new role under the title president of strategic partnerships and enterprise expansion, the company said Thursday.
The latest takeover is anticipated to boost the presence of Torrent in the dermatology segment. Indian company Torrent Pharmaceuticals has signed a definitive agreement for the complete acquisition of Curatio Healthcare for $245.16m (Rs20bn).
