The agency released a report that outlines inspectional activities conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic and discusses plans for future inspection operations.

Lonza plans to invest approximately CHF 850 million (US$936 million) to build new state-of-the-art mammalian manufacturing facilities at its Visp, Switzerland, and Portsmouth, NH, sites.

Projects led by collaborating researchers from both Sanofi and Stanford Medicine will focus on autoimmune diseases and inflammatory conditions.

Eli Lilly and Company has partnered with leading diabetes tech firms to offer app compatibility with insulin smart pens to streamline diabetes management with automated data collection.

The EC’s approval of GSK’s Benlysta (belimumab) marks the first and only biologic approved for both systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis.

The European Commission has approved an additional indication for Roche’s Tecentriq (atezolizumab) as a first-line monotherapy treatment for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

Sandoz will soon begin enrolling patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration in a Phase III study with its proposed biosimilar to aflibercept.

The European Medicines Agency has announced the commencement of an evaluation for the extension of use of Comirnaty, Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine, to include young people aged 12 to 15 years.

The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has started a rolling review of Vero Cell, an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sinovac Life Sciences.

Janssen has submitted a marketing authorization application to EMA seeking approval of its investigational BCMA-directed CAR-T cell therapy.

Solentim has announced the expansion of its European operations, with the establishment of a new entity in Ireland.

Vectura and Inspira Pharmaceuticals have joined forces to develop a potential inhaled therapy for COVID-19.

FDA has approved Keytruda, Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, in combination with trastuzumab, fluoropyrimidine- and platinum-containing chemotherapy, for the treatment of patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma.

FDA is threatening enforcement action against a clinical trial sponsor that has ignored requirements to post study results on the ClinicalTrials.gov website.

Combating COVID-19 is bolstering efforts to limit patent protections on innovative medicines and vaccines.

Catalent has acquired Promethera Biosciences’ cell therapy manufacturing subsidiary, which includes a 32,400 ft2 facility in Gosselies, Belgium.

ISPE’s virtual events will center around the sustainable implementation of and shared responsibility for quality risk management, while providing a space for regulators and industry leaders to share lessons and maintain transparency.

FDA has approved AstraZeneca’s Farxiga (dapagliflozin) for treating chronic kidney disease in the United States.

Moderna will double the space at its Moderna Technology Center in Norwood, MA, to transform it from a production and lab space into an industrial technology center.

Cellares has raised $82 million to accelerate the development of its Cell Shuttle, a factory-in-a-box that allows for the automation of the process of creating highly individualized cell therapies.

Moderna has entered into an agreement with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance to supply up to 500 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to the 92 Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment low- and middle-income countries.

A shortage of pipette tips has been attributed to several factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

This new collaboration between Vyant Bio, Ordaōs Bio, and Cellaria mitigates risk in the drug discovery process using artificial intelligence and in-vitro “avatar” clinical trials.

Eppendorf’s new centrifuge is designed to increase laboratory efficiency, offering advanced features that simplify and accelerate centrifugation steps in the workflow.

AMRI will increase R&D and manufacturing capabilities for orphan and rare disease products.

Under the terms of the contract, Meissner will expand its Camarillo, Calif., manufacturing site by adding additional cleanroom manufacturing space, executing advanced inventory management systems, and adding support areas to supplement capacity.

Both the European Commission and FDA have granted approval to GlaxoSmithKline’s Jemperli (dostarlimab) for treating endometrial cancer.

As face masks start to come off, bio/pharma’s COVID-19 battle goes on.