A roundup of some of the biggest recent stories from German pharma, including the latest on beleaguered Bayer CEO Werner Baumann, Merck KGaA’s latest investments in France and Germany, and STADA securing the first authorized treatment in Europe for the rare kidney disease immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN).
Bayer’s hunt for a new CEO is on, suggesting Werner Baumann could be headed for an early exit: report (Fierce Pharma)
The saga of Bayer’s beleaguered CEO Werner Baumann may be drawing to a close.
Following years of push-and-pull over the German conglomerate’s top post, Bayer has quietly started a hunt for Baumann’s successor, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday, citing people close to the matter. The new CEO search may portend an early departure for Baumann, whose contract with Bayer isn’t set to expire until April 2024.
Merck KGaA continues expansion with $285M+ investment in 2 new projects in France and Germany (Endpoints News)
The company is building what it is calling the Launch and Technology Center in the city of Darmstadt, Germany. The €160 million ($159.3 million), 13,900 square meter center will look to produce small molecule-based drugs for clinical trials and eventual production, bringing research and manufacturing under one roof.
STADA sets standard in Specialty by launching the first medicine authorized in the EU for treating rare kidney disease (Press Release)
STADA has achieved a major milestone in expanding its Specialty Care business by introducing in the European Union (EU) the region’s first authorized treatment for the rare kidney disease immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN). STADA has selected Germany as the lead launch market, with launches in additional European countries planned in the future.
Designated as an orphan medicinal product qualifying for 10-year market exclusivity, the modified-release budesonide capsules are the first and only approved treatment in the EU for primary IgAN, a rare, progressive autoimmune disease of the kidney with a high unmet need, with more than 25%-30% of patients over time developing terminal kidney insufficiency that requires dialysis or kidney transplantation.[1] Developed with Calliditas Therapeutics, the prescription-only medicine will be marketed in the European Economic Area (EEA) exclusively by STADA.
EMA warns of shortages of two Boehringer heart drugs due to a spike in demand (Endpoints News)
The EMA is putting EU member states on alert over the shortage of two drugs that counter heart attacks due to an uptick in demand.
On Friday, the EMA sent out a warning that two Boehringer Ingelheim drugs are experiencing a shortage: Actilyse and Metalyse. The drugs are used as emergency treatments for adults experiencing acute myocardial infarction, or a heart attack, by dissolving blood clots that have formed in the blood vessels.
The EMA warnings said that a rise in demand for the drugs is leading to an overall shortage that is expected to last until 2024. Both drugs are manufactured at Boehringer’s facility in Biberach, Germany.
