RE: FT Weekend11 Sep 2017 09:58
Sorry quite right it is the question of whether rivals also get approval...."
https://www.ft.com/content/e078e324-92f5-11e7-bdfa-eda243196c2c
In gaining regulatory approval first, Novartis has beaten competition from two US biotech companies with similar drugs in the final stages of development. Juno Therapeutics, whose drug was at one time considered the most promising cancer immunotherapy, hit a roadblock this year after reporting intense side effects in its final-stage clinical trial. Peer Kite Pharma, which was the first company to report positive trial results from its own cancer immunotherapy, was recently bought by Gilead Sciences for $11.9bn.
But Novartis’s approval does not mean the rivalry is at an end. Kite is due to hear back from the FDA on its own drug, AxiCel, within the next few months and — if approved — that could be accelerated to market faster than previously expected now that it is due to benefit from Gilead’s manufacturing capabilities.