The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has appointed Dr Neil Weir as the Chair of its Innovation Board.

Dr Weir will lead the Board’s work in developing the ABPI’s long-term vision for pharmaceutical innovation and increased international competitiveness.

He replaces John Stageman, who retired in April.

A leading expert on antibody-based medicine, Dr Weir currently leads UCB’s drug discovery programme. In this role he has led a team responsible for developing 20 new products.

He was formerly Head of Discovery at Celltech R&D.

Stephen Whitehead, ABPI Chief Executive, said: “With Neil’s introduction the ABPI is taking the opportunity to strengthen the link between our Innovation Board and our Board of Management. Supporting and encouraging innovation is the key role of our Innovation Board, but it is also a key consideration for the ABPI as a whole.”

“As the shape of our industry continues to rapidly change our fate lies in the ability to continually innovate,” said Dr Weir. “Our ambition must be to offer innovative new medicines and ground-breaking solutions that go beyond the drug.

“We must remain committed to enabling cutting-edge scientific research that is driven by the patients’ needs, but above all we should continue to focus on our core strength and offering, namely: innovation.”

Roche’s rheumatoid arthritis (RA) drug RoActemra has shown greater effectiveness than Abbott’s market-leading rival Humira in a phase IV clinical test.

The ADACTA head-to-head study indicated that RoActemra (tocilizumab) performed better on all primary and secondary measures of clinical efficacy than Humira (adalimumab).

The trial result will boost Roche’s attempts to win market share for RoActemra, whose sales rose to $675m last year – a long way behind Humira’s $7.9bn.

Preliminary analysis showed a similar safety profile for the two drugs.

However, the antibody RoActemra is only available via an hour-long intravenous infusion, whereas Humira and other TNF inhibitors can be administered by subcutaneous injection.

Roche is developing a subcutaneous injection version of RoActemra, which will be filed for regulatory approval later this year.

The ADACTA study showed that patients given RoActemra achieved a significantly greater reduction in disease activity after 24 weeks than those given Humira.

RoActemra also performed better on key secondary endpoints including remission and low disease activity.

The finding reflects the growing importance of phase IV (head to head) trials in a pharmaceutical market driven by value-based pricing.

Biotech company Amgen and pharma company Watson Pharmaceuticals are collaborating to develop and commercialise a number of biosimilar antibody-based products in the oncology field.

Amgen will develop the products with funding and expert support from Watson, who will also manage their commercialisation.

The products developed through the collaboration will be sold under a joint Amgen/Watson label.

Founded in 1980, Amgen was one of the first biotech companies to take new therapies all the way from the laboratory to the patient. Watson is an integrated global specialty pharmaceutical company focused on urology and women’s health.

According to the two US companies, the collaboration demonstrates that biosimilars are distinct from generics, requiring more infrastructure and expertise for their development.

Under the terms of the agreement, Amgen will take primary responsibility for developing, manufacturing and launching the biosimilars. Watson will contribute up to $400 million in co-development costs, providing development support and sharing risks.

Watson will also manage the commercial life cycle of the biosimilars, and will receive royalties from product revenues and sales milestones.

“The pairing of Amgen's 30 years of experience in biologics together with Watson’s substantial generics and specialty pharmaceutical experience and complementary commercial and distribution capabilities provides great potential for worldwide patient access to high-quality oncology biosimilar medicines," said Amgen President Robert A. Bradway.

Paul Bisaro, Watson’s President, commented: “This collaboration places Amgen and Watson in an unparalleled position in the global biosimilars market by capitalising on best-in-class capabilities in both innovative biologics and specialty pharmaceuticals and generics.

“We believe that biosimilars are the next frontier in the evolution of the healthcare market, and we are prepared to bring all of our resources to bear in this collaboration to ensure this partnership can most effectively compete in the biosimilar space.”

Pfizer’s Prevenar 13 (Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccine [13-valent, Adsorbed]) has been launched in the UK for active immunisation of invasive disease caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae in adults aged 50 and over.

It becomes the first and only pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to be licensed for adults aged 50 and over after gaining a new indication from the EMA.

Dr George Kassianos, GP and immunisation lead for the Royal College of GPs and the British Travel Health Association, says its introduction is an “important achievement and step forward” for adult patients.

The vaccine was first licensed for infants and young children in December 2009 in Europe and used during the UK’s Childhood Immunisation Schedule in April last year.

The new indication provides a new treatment option for the prevention of adult invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), which includes the potentially fatal bacteraemic pneumonia, meningitis and septicaemia.

Chris Head, CEO of the Meningitis Research Foundation, welcomed the vaccine’s launch in the UK. “The new license for Prevenar 13 provides an opportunity to protect adults over 50, who are more at risk of serious pneumococcal disease than younger adults,” he said.

Until Prevenar 13’s new indication, adults over 65 and those in clinical risk groups were treated with the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine. But in clinical trials, patients given Prevenar 13 had significantly higher antibody responses with the vaccine expected to protect against seven out of the most ten most comment serotypes which causes IPD.