Some of the biggest pharma and healthcare stories coming out of Italy, including Italy’s antitrust investigation of Novartis and Genentech; Johnson & Johnson’s EUR 125 million investment in its Italian manufacturing site; Chiesi Farmaceutici’s licensing agreement with Gossamer Bio for a pulmonary hypertension drug, and Menarini and Insilico’s oncology partnership.

 

Novartis, Roche unit and others face Italy antitrust probe over eye drug (Reuters)

Italy’s antitrust regulator said on Thursday it had launched an investigation into pharmaceutical companies including Novartis and Roche-controlled Genentech for having potentially restricted competition in the sale of an eye drug.
Biopharma developer Samsung Bioepis, biotechs Biogen and Genentech, and Novartis, and some of their Italian, Dutch and UK units, allegedly coordinated their commercial strategies to delay the launch in Italy of Byooviz, a drug made with ranibizumab and developed and sold by Samsung Bioepis, the watchdog said in a statement.

 

Johnson & Johnson Invest More Than €125 Million in Italian Manufacturing Site (European Pharmaceutical Manufacturer)

Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine have announced its strengthened commitment in Italy, with a projected investment of €580 million over the next five years, of which €125 million will support an increase in production capacity and build capabilities for the future.

The investment announcement is part of a strategic plan that has included a 9.2 per cent investment growth each year between 2019-2023 in Italy, which is three times greater than the pharmaceutical sector average, according to a new study by The European House – Ambrosetti. Additionally, this investment has translated to a 15 percent increase in employment in Italy over the last five years to about 1,400 employees throughout the country.

 

Stevanato Group Inaugurates Cisterna di Latina Plant (Contract Pharma)

Stevanato Group S.p.A., a global provider of drug containment, drug delivery, and diagnostic solutions to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and life science industries, has inaugurated its Cisterna di Latina plant.

Located just a few kilometers from the Group’s first plant in Latina, the new site covers an area of 65,000 square meters and employs around 200 people. The facility started commercial production in Q4 2023 and houses advanced production lines developed by Stevanato Group for the production of EZ-fill pre-sterilized syringes with the aim of responding to the modern challenges of the European market. Furthermore, the Company plans to implement production with EZ-fill pre-sterilized cartridges between 2025 and 2026 as the site becomes fully operational.

 

French industry minister Lescure welcomes Italian pharma company Chiesi’s investment in France (Euractiv)

French delegate Minister of Industry Roland Lescure visited the production site of Italian pharmaceutical group Chiesi in the Loir-et-Cher area on Tuesday (May 14), after the company announced an investment of €10 million.

The Chiesi laboratory announced the new financial investment of millions of euros and the creation of 100 jobs in France, at the Choose France summit on Monday (May 13), which brings together French and international leaders, to promote investment in France since 2018.

 

Gossamer Bio and Chiesi partner for pulmonary hypertension treatment (Pharmaceutical Technology)

Gossamer Bio and Chiesi Farmaceutici (the Chiesi Group) have announced a worldwide partnership and licence agreement to develop and market seralutinib for pulmonary hypertension. The partnership will leverage the strengths of both companies to enhance efforts in treating pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and to expedite the product development for pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD).

Chiesi will offer its global expertise in respiratory and rare disease treatment, as well as inhaled drug development and commercialisation while Gossamer will contribute PAH and PH-ILD development and commercialisation teams.

 

Menarini, Insilico Partner on Novel KAT6A Inhibitor for Oncology (Contract Pharma)

The Menarini Group, an international pharmaceutical and diagnostics company, and Stemline Therapeutics, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Menarini Group, along with clinical stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven biotechnology company Insilico Medicine, entered into an exclusive licensing agreement granting Stemline the global rights to develop and commercialize a novel, small molecule KAT6A inhibitor designed using Insilico’s AI platform, as a potential treatment for hormone sensitive cancers and other oncology indications.

Stemline will provide a $12 million upfront payment to Insilico. The combined deal, including all development, regulatory, and commercial milestones, is valued at $500 million.

Italy opposes reference to ‘safe and legal abortion’ in G7 draft communiqué (Euractiv)

While G7 leaders meeting in Italy on 13-15 June will focus primarily on the situation in Ukraine, they are expected to address a wide range of issues, including social rights, artificial intelligence and health. However, the intention to include language on the importance of preserving and ensuring effective access to safe and legal abortion and post-abortion care has was opposed by far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose country is currently holding the G7 presidency.

Rome’s opposition came after Meloni’s far-right Fratelli d’Italia party came out on top in last weekend’s European elections, gaining 14 additional seats and nearly 29% of the vote.