ter

Bayer launches pre-filled syringe to administer eye medication Eylea™ in Europe (for specialized target groups only)




ter

Lonza and Moderna enter agreement to mass produce coronavirus vaccine

Lonza Group AG and Moderna Inc have entered a deal to develop 1 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines a year.




ter

Working Life Interview: Kim Stratton, CEO, Orphazyme

"Every professional faces challenges. As a woman in industry, particularly in leadership, it adds another dimension to those challenges in how you present yourself."




ter

Supercomputer simulations present potential active substances against coronavirus

Several drugs approved for treating hepatitis C viral infection were identified as potential candidates against COVID-19, a new disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. This is the result of research based on extensive calculations using the MOGON II supercomputer at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). One of the most powerful computers in the world,




ter

Repurposing existing drugs for COVID-19 offers a more rapid alternative to a vaccine

Repurposing existing medicines focused on known drug targets is likely to offer a more rapid hope of tackling COVID-19 than developing and manufacturing a vaccine, argue an international team of scientists in the British Journal of Pharmacology today.

Since the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in late 2019, more than 3.5 million people are known to have been infected, leading to over 240,000 deaths worldwide from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.




ter

Stockpiling spurs sales at Novo Nordisk in first quarter

Pandemic-based stockpiling among people with diabetes helped lift revenues beyond analysts’ expectations…



  • Biotechnology/Denmark/Diabetes/Financial/Management/Novo Nordisk/Ozempic/Research/Rybelsus/Tresiba/USA/Victoza

ter

Assessing the long-term impact of COVID-19 on clinical research

The fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for many life sciences companies due to a…



  • Anti-virals/Cell and Gene Therapy/Coronavirus/CRA/Feature/Focus On/Global/In Depth/Pharmaceutical/Regulation/Research/Vaccines

ter

Novel ADC continues on path to blockbuster status

Tokyo’s Daiichi Sankyo has submitted a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for trastuzumab deruxtecan…



  • Asia Pacific/AstraZeneca/Biotechnology/Daiichi Sankyo/Enhertu/Focus On/Japan/Oncology/Regulation/Research/trastuzumab deruxtecan/UK

ter

B-MS’ quarterly financials exceed estimates

US pharma major Bristol-Myers Squibb saw its revenue reach $10.8 billion in the first quarter of 2020,…



  • Bristol-Myers Squibb/Cardio-vascular/Celgene/Eliquis/Financial/Hematology/Immuno-oncology/Immunologicals/Management/Oncology/Opdivo/Orencia/Pharmaceutical/Pomalyst/Revlimid/USA

ter

BetterLife Pharma inks licensing deal for AntiCovir

Canada-based BetterLife Pharma, previously known as Pivot Pharmaceuticals, has entered into an agreement…



  • Altum Pharmaceuticals/Anti-virals/AntiCovir/BetterLife Pharma/Biotechnology/Canada/Coronavirus/Deals/Focus On/Licensing/Research

ter

Gilead's remdesivir scores emergency FDA nod in COVID-19 days after big data reveal

Days after U.S. officials reported the first positive controlled data for Gilead's remdesivir in COVID-19, the FDA has given the drug an emergency use authorization.




ter

Seattle Genetics, Astellas' bladder cancer med Padcev blows early expectations out of the water

Even a pandemic can’t slow down Seattle Genetics and Astellas' new bladder cancer treatment Padcev, which "blew out sales expectations" for the first quarter, analysts said. And now, they're jacking up their long-term sales estimates for the drug as a result.




ter

Fresenius Kabi recalls anti-inflammation drug Ketorolac after finding particles in vials

German drugmaker Fresenius Kabi has made major investments in its U.S. manufacturing operations in recent years with some mixed quality results along the way. Now, one of the drugmaker's products faces a recall for more manufacturing woes.




ter

Cadila shutters Indian ingredients plant after 26 workers test positive for COVID-19: report

Global drugmakers are working overtime to keep supplies coming amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. But in manufacturing facilities packed with workers, COVID-19 presents a particularly difficult challenge—and now one Indian plant has been forced to shutter due to a rash of infections. 




ter

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.




ter

Tijuana coronavirus death rate soars after hospital outbreaks

The number of deaths from the coronavirus in Mexico's best-known border city, Tijuana, has soared and the COVID-19 mortality rate is twice the national average, the health ministry says, after medical staff quickly fell ill as the outbreak rampaged through hospital wards.




ter

Twentieth Member of Casino-cheating Criminal Enterprise Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy Targeting Casinos in the United States and Canada

Phat Ngoc Tran, 35, pleaded guilty today in San Diego to conspiring to participate in a racketeering enterprise, the “Tran Organization,” in a scheme to cheat at least 12 casinos across the United States and Canada out of millions of dollars. Tran admitted that he and his co-conspirators unlawfully obtained up to $2.5 million during card cheats.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Patriot Coal to Pay $6.5 Million to Settle Clean Water Act Violations

Patriot Coal Corporation, one of the largest coal mining companies in the United States, has agreed to pay a $6.5 million civil penalty to settle violations of the Clean Water Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Las Vegas Minister and Conspirator Sentenced in Tax Evasion Scheme

Michael Haynes, a practicing minister, and David Jett, both of Las Vegas, were sentenced to 37 months in prison and five years probation, respectively, by Chief U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hunt in Las Vegas. Haynes and Jett were also ordered to pay restitution of $834,000 and $150,000, respectively, to the U.S. Treasury.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

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

ter

Five Defendants Convicted of International Sex Trafficking for Forcing Central American Girls and Women into Prostitution

Five defendants, all members or associates of an extended family, face potential life sentences after being found guilty of sex trafficking for participating in a scheme that lured young Central American women and girls into the Los Angeles area and forced them into prostitution. The defendants, four Guatemalan nationals and one Mexican citizen, were convicted on Feb. 11, 2009, of conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and importation of aliens for purposes of prostitution.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Co-Founder of Casino-Cheating Criminal Enterprise Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy Targeting Casinos in the United States and Canada

Tai Khiem Tran, 47, pleaded guilty today in San Diego to conspiring to participate in a racketeering enterprise, the “Tran Organization,” in a scheme to cheat casinos across the United States and Canada. Tran admitted that he and his co-conspirators unlawfully obtained up to $1 million during card cheats.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Texas Man Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for Selling Counterfeit Software Worth $1 Million on Web Sites

Timothy Kyle Dunaway, 24, of Wichita Falls, Texas, was sentenced today to 41 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’Connor in Wichita Falls for selling counterfeit computer software through the Internet in violation of criminal copyright infringement laws. The software sold by Dunaway had a combined retail value of more than $1 million.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

UBS Enters into Deferred Prosecution Agreement

UBS AG, Switzerland’s largest bank, has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement on charges of conspiring to defraud the United States by impeding the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). As part of the deferred prosecution agreement and in an unprecedented move, UBS, based on an order by the Swiss Financial Markets Supervisory Authority (FINMA), has agreed to immediately provide the United States government with the identities of, and account information for, certain United States customers of UBS’s cross-border business.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Iraqi-Born Dutch Citizen Pleads Guilty to Terrorism Conspiracy Against Americans in Iraq

An Iraqi-born Dutch citizen today pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to murder Americans overseas, including by planting roadside bombs targeting U.S. soldiers in Fallujah, Iraq, and by demonstrating on video how these explosives would be detonated to destroy American vehicles and their occupants.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Ohio Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Terrorism Conspiracy to Bomb Targets in Europe and the United States

Christopher Paul, a/k/a Abdul Malek, a/k/a Paul Kenyatta Laws, a 44-year-old U.S. citizen born in Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced to 20 years in prison today for conspiring with others to use a weapon of mass destruction, namely explosive devices, against targets in Europe and the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against the City of Dayton, Ohio, Alleging Discrimination Against African Americans in the Hiring of Police Officers and Firefighters

The Department announced today that it has entered into a consent decree with the city of Dayton that, if approved by the court, will resolve the Department’s complaint that Dayton has been engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against African-Americans in its hiring of entry-level police officers and firefighters, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII).



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Miami Man Found Guilty in $13.5 Million International Money Laundering Scheme

Rodrigo Molina, 33, a Brazilian national who resided in Miami, was found guilty by a federal jury on 11 of 16 charged counts related to a $13.5 million money laundering conspiracy. Molina was found guilty on Feb. 25, 2009, following a seven-day jury trial in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

International Criminal Figure Pleads Guilty to $138 Million Fuel Tax Scheme After Nearly 13 Years as a Fugitive

After nearly 13 years as a fugitive, a former New Jersey resident has been returned to the United States, and pleaded guilty today to conspiring to committing one of the nation’s largest known motor fuel excise tax schemes. Aaron Misulovin a/k/a Albert Friedman, a/k/a Valery Vibornov, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph E. Irenas in Camden, N.J., to one count of conspiracy, three counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering and three counts of tax evasion.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

United States Intervenes in Case Against EMC Corporation Alleging False Claims on Sales of Hardware, Software and Technology Services

The United States has intervened and filed a complaint in a qui tam suit accusing EMC Corp. of failing to disclose its commercial pricing practices during negotiation of its General Services Administration (GSA) contracts and of providing improper payments and other things of value to Systems Integrators and other Alliance Partners on contracts with government agencies.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against Ecolab Inc. to Enforce Employment Rights of Michigan U.S. Army Veteran

The Department announced today that it has entered into a consent decree with Ecolab Inc. (Ecolab) that will resolve the Department’s complaint, which was filed today, that Ecolab failed to reemploy Michigan veteran Stephen Alasin in violation of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, as amended (USERRA). The consent decree was approved by the court today as well.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

U.S. Asks Courts in California & South Carolina to Shut Down Promoters of Allegedly Fraudulent $39.2 Million Tax Refund Scam

The United States has sued tax return preparers in Placerville, Calif., and Columbia, S.C., seeking to bar them from preparing federal tax returns for others. According to the government complaints in the two cases, Teresa Marty of Pollock Pines, Calif., and Winston Able of Blythewood, S.C., prepare federal income tax returns for their customers that claim fraudulent tax refunds.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Five Defendants Sentenced for Participation in International Child Exploitation Enterprise

Five U.S. defendants convicted for their activity in a global child pornography trafficking enterprise were sentenced today in the Northern District of Florida. The defendants had pled to multiple charges, including engaging in a child exploitation enterprise; conspiracy to advertise, transport, ship, receive and possess child pornography; advertising child pornography; transporting child pornography; and receiving child pornography.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

U.S. Department of Justice Promotes International Network to Combat Intellectual Property Crime

Building upon the successes of earlier efforts, the Department today announced the opening in Bangkok of a regional conference of approximately 100 key law enforcement and industry officials from more than a dozen nations with the goal of strengthening international cooperation in fighting large-scale intellectual property crimes.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Jury Convicts Former Social Worker of Defrauding the Department of Veterans Affairs and Obstructing Justice

A former Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) social work associate was convicted yesterday by a jury on four counts of honest services mail fraud, violating the criminal conflict of interest statute and making a false statement to agency officials.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

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

ter

Former Accounting Firm Vice Chairman/Board Member Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud Related to Tax Shelters

Adrian Dicker, a United Kingdom chartered accountant and former vice chairman and board member at a major international accounting firm, pleaded guilty today to conspiring with certain tax shelter promoters to defraud the United States in connection with tax shelter transactions involving clients of the accounting firm and the law firm Jenkens & Gilchrist (J&G).



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Veterans Affairs Official to Plead Guilty to Conspiracy and Wire Fraud

The Associate Director of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy in Hines, Ill., agreed to plead guilty to being part of a conspiracy to defraud the VA and the Small Business Administration (SBA). His wife and the temporary staffing company she founded agreed to plead guilty to participating in the same conspiracy.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against the City of Portsmouth, Virginia, Alleging Discrimination Against African Americans in the Hiring of Firefighters

The Department has entered into a consent decree with the City of Portsmouth, Va., that, if approved by the court, will resolve the Department’s complaint that the City of Portsmouth engaged in a pattern or practice of employment discrimination against African Americans in its hiring of entry-level firefighters, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII).



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Justice Department Announces Agreement to Protect Rights of Military and Overseas Voters in New York Special Congressional Election

The Department has reached agreement with New York officials to help ensure that military service members and other U.S. citizens living overseas have the opportunity to vote in the state’s March 31, 2009, special election in the 20th Congressional District.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Former National Century Financial Enterprises CEO Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison, Co-Owner Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Conspiracy, Fraud and Money Laundering

Two former National Century Financial Enterprises (NCFE) executives were sentenced today for their roles in a scheme to deceive investors about the financial health of NCFE. NCFE, formerly based in Dublin, Ohio, was one of the largest healthcare finance companies in the United States until it filed for bankruptcy in November 2002.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Disaster Fraud Hotline Available to Report Flood-Related Fraud

In response to the Red River flooding in North Dakota and Minnesota and subsequent relief efforts, the National Center for Disaster Fraud is reminding members of the public to be aware of and report any instances of alleged fraudulent activity related to relief operations and funding for victims. Members of the public can report fraud, waste, abuse or allegations of mismanagement involving disaster relief operations through the Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721, the Disaster Fraud Fax at 225-334-4707 or the Disaster Fraud e-mail at disaster@leo.gov. Individuals can also report criminal activity to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

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

ter

Three International Airline Companies Agree to Plead Guilty to Price Fixing on Air Cargo Shipments

Three international airline companies—Luxembourg-based Cargolux Airlines International S.A., Japan-based Nippon Cargo Airlines Co. Ltd. (NCA), and Korea-based Asiana Airlines Inc.—have each agreed to plead guilty and pay criminal fines totaling $214 million for conspiring to fix prices in the air cargo industry. In addition, Asiana was charged with fixing the passenger fares charged on flights from the United States to Korea.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Oregon Corporation Sentenced for Clean Water Act Violation

California Shellfish Company Inc., doing business as Point Adams Packing Co. (PAPCO), was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Garr M. King in Portland, Ore., to pay $75,000 for a felony violation of the Clean Water Act for unpermitted discharges of wastewater into the Columbia River.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Six Defendants Sentenced for Participation in International Child Exploitation Enterprise

WASHINGTON and PENSACOLA, Fla. – Six U.S. defendants convicted for their activity in a global child pornography trafficking enterprise were sentenced today in the Northern District of Florida, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Rita M. Glavin, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida Thomas F. Kirwin and FBI Executive Assistant Director J. Stephen Tidwell announced.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Iraqi-Born Dutch Citizen Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Terrorism Conspiracy Against Americans in Iraq

An Iraqi-born Dutch citizen was sentenced to 25 years in prison today for conspiring to murder Americans overseas, including by planting roadside bombs targeting U.S. soldiers in Fallujah, Iraq, and by demonstrating on video how these explosives would be detonated to destroy American vehicles and their occupants.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Counterfeit Computer Software Worth $1 Million

A Virginia man pleaded guilty today to selling counterfeit computer software on eBay in violation of criminal copyright infringement laws, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Rita M. Glavin of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor for the District of Columbia.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Dupont and Lucite International Agree to Pay $2 Million for Clean Air Act Violations

DuPont and Lucite International Inc. have agreed to pay a $2 million civil penalty to settle Clean Air Act violations at a sulfuric acid plant in Belle, W. Va. The sulfuric acid plant is located on a 100-acre chemical manufacturing complex along the Kanawha River. The plant is owned by Lucite and operated by DuPont. The companies will pay $1 million to the United States and $1 million to the state of West Virginia.



  • OPA Press Releases

ter

Promoter of Fraudulent Tax Defiance Scheme Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud

Jerry R. Williamson, a promoter of the American Rights Litigators/Guiding Light of God Ministries (ARL) formerly based in Florida, pleaded guilty today to mail fraud. Williamson appeared today before Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr. in Washington, D.C., and admitted that he that he sent a fictitious “Bill of Exchange” purporting to be drawn upon the U.S. Treasury to the Bureau of Land Management of the Department of the Interior.



  • OPA Press Releases