Once again, Fierce Pharma is running its Fierce Madness tournament for the best drug advertisement of the year. Currently down to the sweet sixteen, click here to take a moment to check out the competition.

One of the most notable drugs that recently lost its US exclusivity was Abbvie’s Humira. Humira generated $18.62 billion in US sales in 2022. Others expected to join them this year are Johnson & Johnson’s Stelara, $6.39 billion US sales in 2022, Takeda’s Vyvanse, $2.53 billion US sales in 2022, Sanofi’s Aubagio, $1.5 billion US sales in 2022 and Roche’s Actemra, $1.2 billion US sales in 2022.

The Silicon Review has recognized The Bandish Group as one of the 50 most admired companies of the year. As a boutique life sciences executive search firm, The Bandish Group, has an excellent team with a proven and solid track record of influencing customer relations at all levels and matching talent with opportunities.

For the fifth straight year, Rocket Pharmaceuticals has partnered with organizations to light up landmarks and buildings globally to bring awareness to Rare Disease Day which is February 28, 2023, this year.

Congratulations to our leader, Jackie Bandish, for the much-deserved recognition as a Top 10 Inspiring Women Leader by IERA Women Leaders.

After a recent failed FDA lab test, Sun Pharma has issued a recall for its generic for high blood pressure. The pills were made in its Halol manufacturing plant in Gujarat, India. The pills were distributed nationwide within the US.

BioSpace has revealed the top life sciences organizations that have been selected as Best Places to Work in 2023.

Items most important to responders include workplace flexibility (namely remote work options), work-home balance awareness, cultures of inclusion and progressive diversity, and equity and inclusion (DEI) policies.

Expectations for an active M&A year were high going into 2022. The largest deals of the year totaled $65 billion which was a $12 billion increase over 2021 but significantly short of the $97 billion total in 2020. Showing that dealmakers seem to be taking a cautious approach to megadeals.

Wandercraft has produced a walking assist powered exoskeleton that has just received FDA approval in the US to treat stroke patients. The excoskeleton is a self-balancing, battery-powered device that can help intensive patients with gait training, especially for those with upper body limitations.

In an effort to improve the blood donation rates of people under the age of 30, Abbott has teamed with the Blood Centers of America to unveil a mixed-reality, VR-like experience for blood donation. The mixed reality setup allows participants to visit gardens full of trees and flowers while listening to soothing music during the blood donation experience.

After customer reports of product discoloration, Spectrum Laboratory Products has issued a voluntary recall of three lots of bulk compound epinephrine. The affected lots are 1KG0865, 2KL0353 and 2KF0151. Thus far, no adverse events related to the recall have been reported.

Thea Pharma, the U.S. subsidiary of France’s Laboratoires Théa, has received FDA approval for a preservative-free version of latanoprost formulations used to lower elevated intraocular pressure in the eyes.

Many companies currently sell latanoprost eye drops in the US but the existing options contain preservatives such as benzalkonium chloride that studies have shown to be potentially damaging to the eye surface.

Bill Anderson, Roche’s current pharma CEO and former Genentech CEO will be leaving Roche at the end of 2022. Anderson has been in his current role since 2019 and is leaving to “pursue other opportunities.”

Thomas Schinecker, who is slated to become Roche’s new CEO in March will take over as Pharma CEO until a replacement is found.

Pfizer has announced a projected $750 million upgrade to its manufacturing plant in Kalamazoo, MI. This plant was responsible for producing some of the earliest US COVID-19 vaccines. This comes just years after expanding the site with a $150 million investment in 2017. The project will focus on injectable medicines and is expected to create around 300 new jobs.

State Senator Steve Santarsiero and the CEOs of the nonprofit Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center and Brandywine Realty Trust have announced that the state will invest $5 million in a new Academic Innovation Zone in Bucks and Philadelphia counties.

After receiving more than 400 nominations for this year’s Women in Life Sciences FiercePharma has put together this year’s list of 20 of the best. The women on their list are driven by a goal of developing medicines and technologies that could save millions of lives around the world—and redrawing the image of leadership in the process.

Neurotech, a company dedicated to delivering biological therapeutics, has announced positive results from two Phase 3 studies of NT-501, a cell therapy implant to treat Type 2 macular telangiectasia. In Type 2 macular telangiectasia, the blood vessels dilate and leak, causing swelling of the macula.

Abiomed, a publicly-traded medical device technology company that develops and manufactures temporary external and implantable mechanical circulatory support devices, has received FDA approval for a new model of its minimally invasive cardiac pump targeting the right side of the heart. This new model allows for a new approach that will make it easier for patients to walk while implanted with the device.

Phesi, a clinical development analytics provider, has rolled out a new AI-based platform it claims will save customers an average of $7 million per phase 3 trial.

Exela Pharma Sciences has issued a recall of 49 lots of sodium bicarbonate 8.4% due to safety concerns of “vial breakage and flying glass.” The injectable is used to treat metabolic acidosis, which refers to the buildup of acid in the body through kidney disease or kidney failure.