Only four months after it was carved out from Sanofi to become an independent company, Prague-based Zentiva has announced fresh leadership in the form of Nick Haggar, the 30-year industry veteran and former president of Medicines of Europe.

With an eye on moving to market its broad pipeline of innovative brands, Pfizer has cut development of five early-stage biosimilar assets, in a decision that will affect 150 staff. The move is not reflective of Pfizer's overall commitment to biosimilars, the US-based company maintains.

A strengthened cash position has provided Amneal the chance to seek inorganic opportunities to bolster its growing presence in injectables. The US-based, US-centric company is looking to grow its operations, having been surprised in recent weeks by generic competition to its most lucrative generic assets.

Cipla has formed a licensing agreement with Bio-Thera Solutions for the Chinese firm’s BAT1706 bevacizumab biosimilar, which the Indian company will distribute and sell in select emerging markets.

Under plans announced last December, Mallinckrodt is to spin off its specialty generics and API business; at the recent Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, management painted a timeline to completing the project and provided details on the business’ financing and growth prospects.

A proposed SPC manufacturing waiver – which would allow generic and biosimilar manufacturing within Europe during the SPC period – has taken a step closer to being realized after the European Council approved a mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament. However, it remains uncertain whether key elements desired by the off-patent industry will fall into place.

Dr Reddy’s is hit with a manufacturing setback after getting issued a Form 483 report for its site in Andhra Pradesh, India, while several firms announce site expansions, including in Spain and the US.

Pfizer is set to close two of its manufacturing facilities in India this year, after the firm concluded that production at the former Hospira sites “is not viable” due to falling demand.

Krka is keen to expand its geographic presence beyond its stronghold in Europe, especially by capitalising on the “huge opportunity” in China. But it has no immediate plans to build a major presence in the Americas, according to the Slovenian group’s management board member David Bratoz.

Sun’s managing director, Dilip Shanghvi, has defended the “underlying health” of the company after a sizeable charge linked to antitrust litigation almost completely wiped out Sun’s pre-tax profit in its financial second quarter, while a sales decline in India limited overall turnover growth.

Nichi-Iko has started promoting the value-added portfolio of Eisai’s Elmed in Japan under a strategic alliance struck earlier this year that also includes Nichi-Iko acquiring all shares in Elmed by 1 April 2019. As part of the “phased acquisition” (Generics bulletin, 6 April 2018, page 3), Nichi-Iko said it had by 1 October acquired a third of stocks in Elmed for a total of ¥5.47 billion (US$48.7 million).

Only four months after it was carved out from Sanofi to become an independent company, Prague-based Zentiva has announced fresh leadership in the form of Nick Haggar, the 30-year industry veteran and former president of Medicines of Europe.

A month after a court ruled that Fresenius Kabi’s decision to terminate its merger with Akorn was legal and proper, Akorn’s COO has agreed to resign the position, six days after Doug Boothe officially replaced Raj Rai as Akorn’s new president and CEO.

The California-based biosimilars player has come good on its promise to introduce early in the new year its first biosimilar in the US and the second biosimilar of Amgen’s Neulasta blockbuster; at the same time, biotech veteran Darlene Horton has joined Coherus’ management team.