Canada approves leqembi as global alzheimer’s drug race heats up

Leqembi has secured approval in Canada, further consolidating its global lead among disease-modifying Alzheimer’s therapies. The antibody is now authorized in 15 major markets — one more than its closest rival, Eli Lilly’s Kisunla.

How the Nobel discovery is used in drug development

Regulatory T cells keep the immune system in check, a discovery now awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Qiang Pan Hammarström explains how this finding is being applied in today’s drug development, and what challenges remain.

Eli Lilly Recruits Leading Swedish Researcher Kaj Blennow to Head Alzheimer’s Project

Eli Lilly recruits Kaj Blennow, leading Alzheimer’s researcher, as VP of neuroscience biomarker development.

Health politician Lina Nordquist: ”I find it hard to be idle”

She is the pharmacist and researcher who grew tired of the breakthroughs that never materialised and knowledge that never seemed to reach patients, so she decided to make a change from within. Life Science Sweden meets Lina Nordquist, Member of Parliament for the Liberals and their spokesperson on healthcare policy, to have a conversation about reality, politics, and the need for writing.

Novo Nordisk to invest billions in new quality control lab

Novo Nordisk has announced plans to invest 2.9 billion Danish kroner in order to establish a new quality control laboratory in Hillerød in northern Zealand, Denmark.

Her company is developing a new tablet form obesity drug

Obesity and diabetes are the primary targets of a new tablet treatment under development by Malmö-based Pila Pharma. The company’s ambition is to take on the billion-selling GLP1 analogues. ‘‘Basically, I expect all the beneficial effects that they have, but not the same side effect profile,’’ company founder Dorte X Gram said in an interview with Life Science Sweden.

This years Nobel prize in medicine – “Changed the understanding of how genes are controlled”

This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine goes to the discovery that small RNA molecules, known as microRNAs, control how genes are regulated. Understanding the mechanism has changed our view of human biology and evolution, says KI Professor András Simon.

“We should avoid surgery if we can”

Since February this year, she has been Scientific Director Life Science at the Karolinska Institutet. Life Science Sweden met Anna Martling for a talk about role models, surgery and Sweden’s strengths and weaknesses in medical research.

Innovative start-up helps doctors, scientists and industry balance coagulation risks

For many doctors caring for seriously ill patients, for example, in stroke units and cancer wards, maintaining the life-saving balance between bleeding and thrombosis is an ongoing challenge. In the late 1980s, scientists at Maastricht University in the Netherlands developed an innovative method, the thrombin generation assay (TGA), which provides a complete overview of a physiological process crucial for maintaining normal haemostasis.

Samuel Lagercrantz: “Companies that do this successfully will take the lead”

The development of new medicines and medical technologies should not focus too narrowly on prolonging life. It is equally important to develop treatments that relieve pain or eliminate painful symptoms, writes Samuel Lagercrantz in an editorial.

Radioactive tracer to measure effect of drug towards Crohn’s disease

A radioactive tracer developed by Astra Zeneca and the Karolinska Institutet may play a major role for patients with Crohn's disease. That is the belief of Maria Belvisi at AstraZeneca.

Raised millions to develop a treatment for ´butterfly children´

Fragile as a butterfly’s wing – that’s how people living with Epidermolysis Bullosa are usually described. The Lund-based company Xinnate recently raised SEK 100 million in a new share issue to finance the development of a treatment they hope will give those affected an improved quality of life.

Anna Törner: The minute between life and death

“I have never told anyone about this day that happened more than 20 years ago. But I sometimes reflect on what happened, on what might have happened. When I try to understand why I haven’t told anyone, I find the answer: a feeling of shame. There is no forgiveness for something like this, even though it is very human to be distracted for a moment,” Anna Törner writes in a column.

Column: ”Cheating with pea flowers and does it matter whether you are right?”

Is it possible to forgive shortcuts or outright cheating in science - if it turns out that the researcher was ultimately right? Anna Törner discuss this topic in a column.

Swedish breakthrough in Alzheimer’s: “We can finally present great data”

Treatments for Alzheimer’s disease are currently among the hottest topics in drug development. Two Swedish research companies with high ambitions and successes in the field participated in Bioscience 2022 conference at Life City in Hagastaden, Stockholm.

Marie Gårdmark: Potential step change – EU regulators get to play with data

A new pilot from EMA is starting in September to assess wether the analysis of 'raw data' by regulatory authorities improves the evaluation of marketing approval for new medicines. Marie Grådmark writes in a column that she is looking forward to the outcome of the pilot to hopefully then understand if “in house” analyses actually will add value.

Anna Törner: Kalashnikovs in a new guise

Thanks to resisting European regulatory authorities, Europe has been spared the opioid epidemic. In the 1960s, the situation was the opposite as the American pharmaceutical authority, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), refused to approve thalidomide (Neurosedyn), writes Anna Törner in a column.

Redaktionens sommartips – böcker, poddar och tv-serier

Nu stundar sommar, semester och äntligen en chans att läsa den där boken, lyssna på den där podden eller se den där filmen som inte hanns med tidigare. Här tipsar Life Science Swedens redaktion om lämpligt tidsfördriv eller förkovran under årets mest avkopplande dagar.

Så försvarar du företaget mot årets säkerhetshot

Det globala tekniktjänstföretaget NTT Ltd. har identifierat fem cybersäkerhetshot som kan komma att prägla 2022 och hur man skyddar sig mot dem.

Krönika: Collaboration across borders

Meet the governmental life science office

More clinical trials, promotion for digitisation and interoperability together with increased use of data generated by both healthcare and individuals. The duties of the Life Sciences office are plentiful.

They’re all doing it – buying drug research

December 12 the time has come for this year's annual partnering meeting Pharma Outsourcing in Stockholm. In Sweden this is a growing business, with Recipharm as the biggest CRMO of the country.

Orexo vinner långdragen patenttvist

Amerikanska domstolen för överklagande slår fast att bolagets långa patent för Zubsolv är giltigt. Tidigare beslut som förklarade patentet ogiltigt rivs alltså upp.

Pengar till smarta minifabriker

För att främja digitaliserad svensk industri finansierar Vinnova åtta projekt som ska bana väg för framtida digital industri. Smarta minifabriker för läkemedelstillverkning är ett av projekten som nu får medel.