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FDA urges close monitoring of COVID-19 patients treated with hydroxychloroquine

The FDA has released a safety communication reiterating the need for doctors to closely monitor COVID-19 patients who are treated with either hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine.




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12 British children hospitalised with rare condition linked to COVID-19

12 children have fallen ill across the UK with a new and potentially fatal combination of symptoms linked to COVID-19.




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AstraZeneca joins forces with University of Oxford to develop and manufacture potential coronavirus vaccine

A “landmark” partnership has been struck between AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford in the ongoing battle against COVID-19, with the former agreeing to aid in the development and large-scale manufacture of the latter’s potential recombinant adenovirus vaccine for the prevention of novel coronavirus infection.



  • Research and Development
  • Manufacturing and Production

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NHS sets out plans to deal with the second phase of the pandemic

The NHS has set out plans to step up its non-COVID-19 services over the next six weeks.




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Portola Pharmaceuticals to merge with Alexion in $1.41bn cash deal

Alexion has announced it is to acquire Boston-based blood disorder specialist Portola Pharmaceuticals in a transaction to the value of $1.41 billion in cash.




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AZ's Farxiga becomes first FDA-approved SGLT2 inhibitor for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

The FDA has moved to approve an oral tablet formulation of AstraZeneca’s Farxiga (dapagliflozin) to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalisation in adult patients with New York Heart Association’s functional class II-IV heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.




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FDA approval for Tabrecta in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with METex14

The FDA has awarded marketing authorisation to Novartis for the Oral MET inhibitor Tabrecta for the first-line treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer in patients whose tumors have a mutation that leads to MET exon 14 skipping (METex14), regardless of whether they have previously received any type of treatment.




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AstraZeneca partners with Oxford University on UK’s lead coronavirus vaccine

AZ has pledged to make the vaccine at cost for the duration of the pandemic




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Novo Nordisk trumpets NASH data with semaglutide

Results could unlock another big market for the company’s star drug




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AstraZeneca and Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute initiate Phase III DARE-19 trial with Farxiga in COVID-19 patients

AstraZeneca and Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute have initiated a randomised, global Phase III trial to assess the potential of Farxiga (dapagliflozin) as a treatment in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 who are at risk of developing serious complications, such as organ failure.




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Loss of smell associated with milder clinical course in COVID-19

Following an earlier study that validated the loss of smell and taste as indicators of SARS-CoV-2 infection, researchers at UC San Diego Health report in newly published findings that olfactory impairment suggests the resulting COVID-19 disease is more likely to be mild to moderate, a potential early indicator that could help health care providers determine which patients may require hospitalization.




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Novartis announces plan to initiate clinical trial of canakinumab for patients with COVID-19 pneumonia

Novartis announced plans to initiate a Phase III clinical trial to study canakinumab in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. The CAN-COVID trial will examine the efficacy of utilizing canakinumab, an interleukin (IL)-1β blocker, to treat a type of severe immune overreaction called cytokine release syndrome (CRS) in people with COVID-19 pneumonia.




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Study reveals most critically ill patients with COVID-19 survive with standard treatment

Clinicians from two hospitals in Boston report that the majority of even the sickest patients with COVID-19 - those who require ventilators in intensive care units - get better when they receive existing guideline-supported treatment for respiratory failure. The clinicians, who are from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, published their findings in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.




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Mallinckrodt’s INOmax successful in trial of neonates with pulmonary hypertension

UK-based Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals has ended a trial of INOmax (nitric oxide) gas early due to positive…



  • Drug Trial/Inomax/Mallinckrodt/Nitric Oxide/Pharmaceutical/Research/Respiratory and Pulmonary/UK

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Menarini nabs hematologic malignancy drug along with buy of Stemline

Privately-held pharma and diagnostics firm Menarini Group has announced a definitive agreement to acquire…



  • Biotechnology/Companies
  • mergers and acquisitions/Elzonris/Hematology/Italy/Menarini Group/Oncology/One to Watch Companies/Rare diseases/Stemline Therapeutics/USA

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US FTC clears AbbVie’s buy of Allergan, but with divestments

Almost a year after the original announcement, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has accepted the…



  • AbbVie/Allergan/Companies
  • mergers and acquisitions/Endocrinology/Federal Trade Commission/Ireland/Legal/Management/Pancrelipase/Pharmaceutical/USA/Viokace/Zenpep

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Ferring in sight of finish line with first microbiome-based drug

Swiss drugmaker Ferring and its Rebiotix subsidiary have announced a world first with a microbiome-based…



  • Antibiotics and Infectious diseases/Biotechnology/Drug Trial/Ferring Pharmaceuticals/Microbiomes/RBX2660/Rebiotix/Research/Switzerland

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Bristol-Myers' CAR-T cell therapy meets with FDA delay

The submission of additional information, upon the request of the US regulator, has delayed the action…



  • Biotechnology/Bristol-Myers Squibb/Focus On/Immuno-oncology/lisocabtagene maraleucel/Regulation/Research/US FDA/USA

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Gilead in talks to expand COVID-19 hopeful remdesivir supply chains with outside partner

Gilead Sciences scored a massive win earlier this week with its first positive data readout for investigational candidate remdesivir in treating patients with severe COVID-19. Gilead already has its own supply of the drug humming in anticipation of high demand, but opportunities are out there for a partner to join in. 




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With the world waiting, Roche socks $459M into COVID-19 antibody test production

Roche scored a major win with the FDA's backing for its COVID-19 antibody tests last week in a field marked by products of questionable quality. Now, to cover its booming production goals, Roche plans to infuse nearly half-a-billion dollars into its German manufacturing facility. 




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AbbVie, Allergan score FTC approval for $63B merger with one final hurdle left to go

AbbVie and Allergan have waited for nearly a year for their much-discussed merger to pass muster. Finally, after pushback from consumer groups and tight scrutiny from regulators, the FTC has granted its green light. The partners face just one final hurdle to consummating their deal. 




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AstraZeneca's Farxiga scores landmark FDA nod in heart failure patients with or without diabetes

AstraZeneca has watched superstar SGLT2 diabetes med Farxiga nail trial after trial in highly coveted kidney and heart failure indications, with the FDA expediting reviews to back them up. The one thing AstraZeneca was missing? The agency taking Farxiga across the finish line. 




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Amgen ramps up Otezla expansion effort with positive data in mild psoriasis

Amgen is planning to file for FDA approval of Otezla in mild to moderate plaque psoriasis based on new data showing patients on the drug experienced significant improvements in their symptoms. The label expansion will be key to Amgen's ability to recoup the $13.4 billion it paid to acquire the drug from Celgene last year.




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Can the price be right? With the world watching, Gilead faces a no-win decision on remdesivir

The world is waiting for Gilead Sciences to set a price tag for remdesivir, the first brand-new med authorized to treat COVID-19. Its choice will affect Gilead's reputation and bottom line, set a tone for follow-up meds—and either help polish up the pharma industry's image or create a new flashpoint for criticism.




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Gilead hit with Iranian cyberattack for role in COVID-19 response: report

Gilead Sciences has captured worldwide attention with its COVID-19 antiviral, remdesivir, cleared late last week by the FDA—not all of it welcome. With bad actors targeting companies at the head of the spear in the pandemic response, Gilead may have found itself in their sights.




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FDA commissioner in self-quarantine after exposure to person with COVID-19

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn is in self-quarantine for a couple of weeks after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, an FDA spokesman told Reuters late on Friday.




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Eight Charged with Illegally Harvesting and Selling Striped Bass

Five commercial fishermen in St. Mary’s County, Md., a fish wholesaler, its owner and an employee have been charged in Maryland and Washington, D.C., for their role in the illegal harvest, sale, and purchase of hundreds of thousands of pounds of striped bass from the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River from 2003 through 2007.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Minnesota Man Arrested in Connection with Ponzi Scheme

A Minnesota man was arrested today on charges related to an alleged Ponzi scheme involving commodity pools. Charles “Chuck” E. Hays, of Rosemount, Minn., was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Minnesota with one count of wire fraud and one count of mail fraud.



  • OPA Press Releases

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California Man Sentenced to 18 Months in Community Correctional Facility in Connection with Scheme to Defraud First International Bank and Export-Import Bank

Carlos Serrano, 64, of Glendale, Calif., was sentenced to 18 months in a community correctional facility in connection with a $1.3 million scheme to defraud the First International Bank of Connecticut (FIB) and the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank). In addition to his prison sentence, Serrano was placed on five years of probation and ordered to pay restitution of $924,569 to the Ex-Im Bank.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with SmallTownPapers Inc., Regarding Employment Rights of Air Force Reservist

The Department has reached a settlement that, if approved by the court, will resolve a lawsuit the Department filed on behalf of Air Force Reservist Frank Bonnin against SmallTownPapers Inc., (SmallTownPapers). The complaint, filed in August 2008 in U.S. District Court in Seattle, alleged that SmallTownPapers violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) when it terminated Bonnin from his position as director of publisher relations due to his military obligation as an Air Force Reservist to attend active duty training.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Three Miami Physicians and Three Medical Workers Charged with $10 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

Six Miami-Dade County residents have been indicted in connection with an alleged $10 million Medicare fraud scheme operated out of Midway Medical, a Miami clinic that purported to specialize in treating HIV/AIDS patients.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Resolves Lawsuit with State of Vermont Regarding Reporting Requirements of Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act

The Department announced today the resolution of the lawsuit filed by the United States against the state of Vermont to enforce the reporting requirements of the Uniformed Overseas Citizen Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). UOCAVA is designed to ensure that members of the uniformed services and overseas citizens may effectively participate in federal elections.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Employee of the Export-Import Bank of the United States Charged with Corruption and Tax Violations

A former employee of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has been indicted on corruption and tax violations arising from her alleged receipt of a $100,000 bribe while working at the Ex-Im Bank.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Stanford Financial Group Chief Investment Officer Charged with Obstruction

Laura Pendergest-Holt, the chief investment officer of Houston-based Stanford Financial Group (SFG), was arrested today by agents of the FBI’s Houston Field Office on a criminal complaint charging her with obstruction of a proceeding before an agency of the United States. Pendergest-Holt will make her initial appearance on Friday, Feb. 27, 2009, before U.S. Magistrate Mary Milloy at the federal courthouse in Houston.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Two UK Citizens Charged by United States with Bribing Nigerian Government Officials to Obtain Lucrative Contracts as Part of KBR Joint Venture Scheme

Two citizens of the United Kingdom have been charged in an indictment unsealed today in the United States for their alleged participation in a decade-long scheme to bribe Nigerian government officials to obtain engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts. The EPC contracts to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities on Bonny Island, Nigeria, were valued at more than $6 billion.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Individual Indicted in Connection with Costa Rica-based Business Opportunity Fraud Ventures

A British citizen was charged in connection with the operation of a series of fraudulent business opportunities on March 10, 2009, by a Miami federal grand jury. Sirtaj Mathauda was indicted on charges that he and his co-conspirators purported to sell vending machine, beverage and greeting card business opportunities, including assistance in establishing, maintaining and operating such businesses. The charges form part of the government’s continued nationwide crackdown on business opportunity fraud.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Iranian Man and His Company Charged in International Scheme to Supply Iran with Sensitive U.S. Technology

An Iranian citizen and his Tehran business have been charged with purchasing helicopter engines and advanced aerial cameras for fighter bombers from U.S. firms and illegally exporting them to Iran using companies in Malaysia, Ireland and the Netherlands. Among the alleged recipients of these U.S. goods was an Iranian military firm that has since been designated by the United States for being owned or controlled by entities involved in Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Irish Trading Firm and Its Officers Charged in Scheme to Supply Iran with Sensitive U.S. Technology

An Irish trading company and three of its officers have been charged with purchasing helicopter engines and other aircraft components from U.S. firms and illegally exporting them to Iran using companies in Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. Among the alleged recipients of these U.S. goods was an Iranian military firm that has since been designated by the United States for being owned or controlled by entities involved in Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Partner at Major International Accounting Firm Charged with Tax Crimes

A Newark, N.J., federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Stephen A. Favato, a resident of Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., and a partner at a major international accounting firm, with tax charges for attempting to assist one of his clients evade income taxes. Favato, a partner in the accounting firm’s Woodbridge, N.J., office, was charged with tax evasion regarding the federal income taxes of Daniel Funsch and his spouse.



  • OPA Press Releases

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UBS Client Charged with Filing False Tax Return

Steven Michael Rubinstein, of Boca Raton, Fla., has been charged, via criminal complaint, with filing a false income tax return. Rubinstein made his initial appearance this morning before Magistrate Judge Barry S. Seltzer in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The defendant was temporarily detained, pending a bond hearing scheduled for Tuesday, April 7, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. before Magistrate Judge Seltzer.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Two Individuals Convicted on Charges of Conspiracy and Bribery in Connection with a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans Levee Reconstruction Project

A former contract employee of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a dirt, sand and gravel subcontractor were both convicted on charges of conspiracy and bribery in connection with a $16 million hurricane protection project for the reconstruction of the Lake Cataouatche Levee, south of New Orleans.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Bristol-Myers Squibb Senior Executive Pleads Guilty for Role in Dishonest Dealings with the Federal Government

A former senior executive of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMS), Andrew Bodnar, pleaded guilty for his role in BMS’s dishonest dealings with the federal government relating to a patent deal involving the popular blood-thinning drug Plavix. This plea agreement follows BMS’s June 11, 2007, agreement to plead guilty and pay a $1 million criminal fine – the maximum fine permitted by statute – for misleading the government about the Plavix patent deal.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Senior Executives of Auto Parts Retailer Charged with Scheme to Manipulate Corporate Earnings

Two former senior executives of CSK Auto Corp. (CSK), have been charged in a 31-count indictment for a scheme to manipulate the company’s reported earnings. The indictment, returned on April 7, 2009, by a federal grand jury in Phoenix, charges Martin G. Fraser, 53, of Glendale, Ariz., and Don W. Watson, 53, of Gilbert, Ariz., with conspiracy, securities fraud, mail fraud, false filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), false books and records, and false statements to its auditor.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Philadelphia Regarding Polling Place Access for People with Disabilities

The Department announced a settlement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with the city of Philadelphia to greatly improve accessibility for individuals with mobility disabilities at the city’s 1,200 polling places. Today’s settlement is the first settlement by the Department with a city focused solely on accessible polling places. Under the terms of the settlement, the city of Philadelphia recognizes that accessible polling places are the cornerstone of its voting accessibility program and will make its polling places accessible to persons with disabilities.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Individual Charged with Participating in Scheme to Steal Large Quantities of Fuel from U.S. Army in Iraq

A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging Robert Jeffery, 55, with conspiracy and theft of government property in connection with a scheme to steal large quantities of fuel from the U.S. Army in Iraq.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Kansas Man Charged with Immigration Crimes in Connection with 1994 Genocide in Rwanda

Lazare Kabaya Kobagaya, 82, of Topeka, Kan., was arrested today on charges of naturalization fraud and misuse of an alien registration card. According to the indictment, Kobagaya allegedly participated in genocidal activities during the 1994 Rwandan conflict including mobilizing attackers to commit arson and murder. Kobagaya is alleged to have failed to disclose his alleged participation in these activities during his immigration and naturalization processes.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Iowa Man Convicted of Interfering with Housing Rights of African-American Family

Justin Hanson, 21, of Mason City, Iowa, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids to violating the civil rights of an African-American family.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Sues Nobel Learning Communities Inc. for Discrimination Against Children with Disabilities

The Department has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia against Nobel Learning Communities Inc. (Nobel) alleging the company violated Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act by excluding children with autism spectrum disorders and other disabilities from its schools and programs.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Obtains $200,000 in Housing Discrimination Settlement with Lakewood, New Jersey, Apartment Complex

The Department announced an agreement with the owners, a manager and a former manager of Cottage Manor Apartments in Lakewood, N.J., to settle allegations of discrimination on the basis of religion, national origin and race.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Two South Florida Men Indicted in Connection with Fraudulent ATM Business Opportunity Venture

A Miami federal grand jury has charged two South Florida men with conspiracy, mail and wire fraud in connection with the operation of a fraudulent ATM business opportunity. The criminal charges are part of the government’s continued nationwide crackdown on business opportunity fraud.



  • OPA Press Releases