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Business Standard
a day ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Dr Reddy's, Alvotech to co-develop biosimilar of cancer drug Keytruda
Global biotech major Alvotech and Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) have entered into a collaboration to co-develop, manufacture, and commercialise a biosimilar version of Merck's blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda (pembrolizumab), which recorded global sales of $29.5 billion in 2024. Shares of DRL rose 3 per cent on Thursday on the BSE following the announcement. Under the agreement, both parties will jointly manage development and manufacturing responsibilities, while sharing associated costs. Each company will also hold global commercialisation rights, subject to certain exceptions. Keytruda, developed by Merck & Co., is used to treat a wide range of cancers, including lung, melanoma, and head and neck cancers. With patents for Keytruda expected to expire in major markets over the next few years, competition among biosimilar developers is intensifying. The partnership is a strategic boost to Dr Reddy's oncology portfolio—a key therapeutic area for the company—and significantly expands Iceland-based Alvotech's biosimilar pipeline. The tie-up comes amid growing global demand for cost-effective biologic alternatives in cancer care, especially in immuno-oncology, where Keytruda remains a dominant therapy. 'We are happy to collaborate with Alvotech for the pembrolizumab biosimilar,' said Erez Israeli, CEO of Dr Reddy's. 'Oncology has been a top focus therapy area for us, and this collaboration further enhances our capabilities.' Alvotech Chairman and CEO Róbert Wessman said the partnership would accelerate development while broadening global access to critical biologics. 'This agreement demonstrates our ability to leverage our R&D and manufacturing platform to pursue growing global markets,' he said. Alvotech, listed on Nasdaq, is focused solely on biosimilars and already has approvals for adalimumab and ustekinumab biosimilars. Its pipeline includes candidates for autoimmune, respiratory, and oncologic indications. Dr Reddy's, which has commercialised six biosimilars in India and over 30 countries, has been scaling up global biologics operations. It launched its first biosimilar in the UK—Versavo (bevacizumab)—in 2024, and pegfilgrastim in the US and Europe through partners. With this collaboration, both companies aim to play a larger role in shaping the next phase of affordable cancer care globally.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rubio outlines plans to drastically cut human rights offices in State
Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to gut the State Department's human rights bureau as part of a sweeping reorganization of the country's diplomatic service, according to internal department documents and people familiar with the plans. The State Department sent a document to Congress on Thursday notifying lawmakers of the changes that call for the elimination of most offices in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor — or DRL as it's known in the diplomatic corps. That would lead to funding freezes or cuts on programs ranging from internet freedom initiatives in autocratic countries to support for pro-democracy civil society groups facing repression in sub-Saharan Africa. It is part of a wider effort to reorganize more than 300 bureaus and offices at State outlined in the document, which was obtained by POLITICO, all to tackle what the Trump administration views as an unwieldy and bloated foreign policy bureaucracy. Fox News previously reported on the wider reorganization plans but other details, including the scale and scope of the cuts to human rights offices and funding have not been previously reported. Under the proposal, the reorganization would cut DRL staff by up to 80 percent and leave in limbo more than $400 billion in grants for human rights programs in developing countries and autocracies that have already been appropriated, according to two former officials and a current official familiar with the matter. Some officials could transfer to other offices, while others would effectively be laid off. All were granted anonymity as they weren't authorized to discuss internal reform measures publicly. The State Department did not give a timeline on when it would carry out the proposed reforms. The reorganization also calls for the creation of new positions that reflect the Trump administration's cultural lurch to the right in foreign policy, including emphasizing so-called civilizational allies and debates over digital censorship. Those include a deputy assistant secretary of State for 'Democracy and Western Values' and an office of 'natural rights' that will 'ground the department's values-based diplomacy in traditional Western conceptions of core freedoms,' according to an internal State Department notification to U.S. lawmakers on the proposed reforms. 'For example, the office will build the foundation for criticisms of free speech backsliding in Europe and other developed nations,' the document reads — an apparent reference to the Trump administration's criticisms of close NATO allies such as the United Kingdom and Germany for laws against hate speech and the spread of disinformation, as well as Germany's move to classify a far-right political party growing in popularity as an 'extremist' group that opens it up to security and intelligence surveillance. The State Department did not respond to a request for comment. The notice was sent to Congress but it's unclear how Congress could alter or halt the proposed reorganization, officials noted. Democrats could push back on the proposed changes but both chambers of Congress are controlled by Republicans, who widely support the Trump administration's efforts to slash the federal government. The reorganization would also eliminate the top official overseeing human rights issues: the under secretary of state for civilian security, democracy and human rights. That would be folded under a new position — the under secretary for foreign assistance and humanitarian affairs. This senior post would oversee the remnants of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which the Trump administration rapidly dismantled during its first months in office. The proposed changes have fueled internal anger and backlash among some officials who work on human rights within the department who argue that Rubio's efforts to trim the fat will cut too deep into the muscle and bone of the department's expertise on human rights issues. 'The impact will be devastating,' said Uzra Zeya, a former senior Biden administration State Department official and now CEO of Human Rights First, a nonprofit advocacy group. 'Rubio's chief point on the reorganization has been that we're not going to lose this capacity on human rights, we're just folding it into the regional bureaus where it can be better managed and rationalized. These cuts would eviscerate that capacity.' Other officials scratched their heads over DRL's refocus to issues such as 'natural rights' and scrutinizing close allies that are fully functioning democracies. 'Forget Russia's torture and killing of Ukrainians, let's focus on the real threat like U.K.'s laws against hate speech,' one of the department officials noted wryly. The State Department has framed the proposed reorganization as overdue and necessary to adapt the U.S. diplomatic corps to modern national security threats and cut down on overlapping or duplicative offices. Notably, the reorganization appears to target only domestic offices and not U.S. embassies or consulates abroad. According to the notification to Congress, the reorganization would cut the State Department's domestic workforce by up to 3,448 personnel, taking into account new reductions and voluntary departures that the Trump administration has offered career government officials under its deferred resignation programs championed by Trump's Department of Government Efficiency. 'The Department's domestic operations have grown considerably over the last 25 years. The resulting proliferation of bureaus and offices with unclear, overlapping, or duplicative mandates has hobbled the department's ability to rapidly respond to emerging threats and crises, or to effectively advance America's affirmative interests across the world,' the notification to Congress reads. Vice President JD Vance outlined the administration's criticisms of allies like Germany and the United Kingdom during a fiery speech at the Munich Security Conference in February that presaged how the State Department's reorganization could shift more scrutiny on allies. 'Expressing opinions isn't election interference, even when people express views outside your own country, and even when those people are very influential,' he said in that speech. 'If American democracy can survive 10 years of Greta Thunberg's scolding, you guys can survive a few months of Elon Musk.'
Politico
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Rubio outlines plans to drastically cut human rights offices in State
Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to gut the State Department's human rights bureau as part of a sweeping reorganization of the country's diplomatic service, according to internal department documents and people familiar with the plans. The State Department sent a document to Congress on Thursday notifying lawmakers of the changes that call for the elimination of most offices in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor — or DRL as it's known in the diplomatic corps. That would lead to funding freezes or cuts on programs ranging from internet freedom initiatives in autocratic countries to support for pro-democracy civil society groups facing repression in sub-Saharan Africa. It is part of a wider effort to reorganize more than 300 bureaus and offices at State outlined in the document, which was obtained by POLITICO, all to tackle what the Trump administration views as an unwieldy and bloated foreign policy bureaucracy. Fox News previously reported on the wider reorganization plans but other details, including the scale and scope of the cuts to human rights offices and funding have not been previously reported. Under the proposal, the reorganization would cut DRL staff by up to 80 percent and leave in limbo more than $400 billion in grants for human rights programs in developing countries and autocracies that have already been appropriated, according to two former officials and a current official familiar with the matter. Some officials could transfer to other offices, while others would effectively be laid off. All were granted anonymity as they weren't authorized to discuss internal reform measures publicly. The State Department did not give a timeline on when it would carry out the proposed reforms. The reorganization also calls for the creation of new positions that reflect the Trump administration's cultural lurch to the right in foreign policy, including emphasizing so-called civilizational allies and debates over digital censorship. Those include a deputy assistant secretary of State for 'Democracy and Western Values' and an office of 'natural rights' that will 'ground the department's values-based diplomacy in traditional Western conceptions of core freedoms,' according to an internal State Department notification to U.S. lawmakers on the proposed reforms. 'For example, the office will build the foundation for criticisms of free speech backsliding in Europe and other developed nations,' the document reads — an apparent reference to the Trump administration's criticisms of close NATO allies such as the United Kingdom and Germany for laws against hate speech and the spread of disinformation, as well as Germany's move to classify a far-right political party growing in popularity as an 'extremist' group that opens it up to security and intelligence surveillance. The State Department did not respond to a request for comment. The notice was sent to Congress but it's unclear how Congress could alter or halt the proposed reorganization, officials noted. Democrats could push back on the proposed changes but both chambers of Congress are controlled by Republicans, who widely support the Trump administration's efforts to slash the federal government. The reorganization would also eliminate the top official overseeing human rights issues: the under secretary of state for civilian security, democracy and human rights. That would be folded under a new position — the under secretary for foreign assistance and humanitarian affairs. This senior post would oversee the remnants of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which the Trump administration rapidly dismantled during its first months in office. The proposed changes have fueled internal anger and backlash among some officials who work on human rights within the department who argue that Rubio's efforts to trim the fat will cut too deep into the muscle and bone of the department's expertise on human rights issues. 'The impact will be devastating,' said Uzra Zeya, a former senior Biden administration State Department official and now CEO of Human Rights First, a nonprofit advocacy group. 'Rubio's chief point on the reorganization has been that we're not going to lose this capacity on human rights, we're just folding it into the regional bureaus where it can be better managed and rationalized. These cuts would eviscerate that capacity.' Other officials scratched their heads over DRL's refocus to issues such as 'natural rights' and scrutinizing close allies that are fully functioning democracies. 'Forget Russia's torture and killing of Ukrainians, let's focus on the real threat like U.K.'s laws against hate speech,' one of the department officials noted wryly. The State Department has framed the proposed reorganization as overdue and necessary to adapt the U.S. diplomatic corps to modern national security threats and cut down on overlapping or duplicative offices. Notably, the reorganization appears to target only domestic offices and not U.S. embassies or consulates abroad. According to the notification to Congress, the reorganization would cut the State Department's domestic workforce by up to 3,448 personnel, taking into account new reductions and voluntary departures that the Trump administration has offered career government officials under its deferred resignation programs championed by Trump's Department of Government Efficiency. 'The Department's domestic operations have grown considerably over the last 25 years. The resulting proliferation of bureaus and offices with unclear, overlapping, or duplicative mandates has hobbled the department's ability to rapidly respond to emerging threats and crises, or to effectively advance America's affirmative interests across the world,' the notification to Congress reads. Vice President JD Vance outlined the administration's criticisms of allies like Germany and the United Kingdom during a fiery speech at the Munich Security Conference in February that presaged how the State Department's reorganization could shift more scrutiny on allies. 'Expressing opinions isn't election interference, even when people express views outside your own country, and even when those people are very influential,' he said in that speech. 'If American democracy can survive 10 years of Greta Thunberg's scolding, you guys can survive a few months of Elon Musk.'
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
White House pressures Starmer over Lucy Connolly case
The White House has said it is 'monitoring' the case of Lucy Connolly in an escalation of free speech tensions with Sir Keir Starmer. State department officials are examining the treatment of Connolly, the wife of a Conservative councillor, who was jailed for 31 months over a social media post about the Southport attacks. Judges threw out an appeal brought by the 42-year-old last week, meaning she will not be released before August. Campaigners raised her case with Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, as part of a wider effort to challenge what they regard as draconian hate speech laws across Europe. A spokesman for the state department said: 'We can confirm that we are monitoring this matter. 'The United States supports freedom of expression at home and abroad, and remains concerned about infringements on freedom of expression.' It is the latest sign of Donald Trump's willingness to intervene in domestic British affairs amid a growing transatlantic rift over the protection of freedom of speech. On Saturday, The Telegraph revealed Mr Trump sent US officials to meet five British pro-life activists over censorship concerns. The diplomats from the US bureau of democracy, human rights and labor (DRL) travelled to London in March in an effort to 'affirm the importance of freedom of expression in the UK and across Europe'. They met with officials from the Foreign Office and challenged Ofcom on the Online Safety Act, which is thought to be a point of contention in the White House. Since then, Connolly's case has raised eyebrows of Trump administration officials who question her conviction and the length of her sentence. British politicians who have criticised her sentence were praised the White House for its intervention. Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, said: 'Lucy Connolly is effectively a political prisoner and should be freed immediately. She made an ill-judged tweet, soon deleted. 'That the US is investigating this case is a sad indictment of the dire state of free speech under Two-Tier Keir. Free speech is in crisis under Labour.' Connolly expressed her outrage on social media platform X hours after Axel Rudakubana murdered three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club in Southport. She posted: 'Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f---ing hotels full of the b------s for all I care, while you're at it, take the treacherous government politicians with them. I feel physically sick knowing what these [Southport] families will now have to endure. If that makes me racist, so be it.' Connolly deleted the post less than four hours later, but by then it had been viewed 310,000 times. She was arrested on Aug 6 following widespread riots across the country over the stabbing attack, and later jailed for 31 months. Connolly, who has no previous convictions, also sent another tweet commenting on a sword attack, which read: 'I bet my house it was one of these boat invaders.' Last week, the Court of Appeal judges said they did not accept that the original sentence for inciting racial hatred was 'manifestly excessive'. The judges also said they did not accept that Connolly had entered her guilty plea without fully understanding what it entailed. Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said: 'In recent months, shoplifters with hundreds of prior convictions have avoided prison. A domestic abuser with 52 prior offences got off with just a suspended sentence, as did a paedophile with 110,000 indecent images of children. 'And yet Lucy Connolly has received a 31-month prison sentence for an appalling – albeit hastily deleted – message on social media. How on earth can you spend longer in prison for a tweet than violent crime? This crazy disparity will only fuel perception that we have a two-tier justice system where the law is enforced selectively.' Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader and an ally of Mr Trump, said: 'Our American Republican friends seem to care more about free speech in the United Kingdom than our own government.' Lord Young, the general secretary of the Free Speech Union, which helped fund Connolly's appeal, said: 'This is the third national humiliation in a week under Sir Keir Starmer's premiership. 'Has it really come to this? That the US government now has to monitor human rights abuses in the United Kingdom? 'Britain is rapidly becoming the North Korea of the North Sea.' Sir Keir has been forced to defend Britain's record of free speech in recent months, which has become a point of tension with Trump administration officials. During his meeting in the Oval Office in February, the Prime Minister claimed there had been free speech 'for a very, very long time in the UK, and it will last for a very, very long time… Certainly we wouldn't want to reach across US citizens, and we don't, and that's absolutely right. But in relation to free speech in the UK, I'm very proud of our history there'. In a speech at the Munich security conference in February, JD Vance, the US vice-president, cited British pro-life campaigner Adam Smith-Connor, who was convicted for breaching a buffer zone outside an abortion clinic, suggesting 'free speech in Britain and across Europe was in retreat'. No case has raised concerns in Washington more than the prosecution of Livia Tossici-Bolt, an anti-abortion campaigner whose case threatened to jeopardise Sir Keir's trade deal with the United States. The 64-year-old praised the Trump administration for its support after she was handed a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay £20,026 in costs for breaching a buffer zone around an abortion clinic in Bournemouth. Her case alarmed leaders within the US state department, which made the highly unusual step of warning Sir Keir that it was 'monitoring' developments closely. At the time, a source familiar with trade negotiations insisted Ms Tossici-Bolt's arrest was being considered amid Britain's attempt to win an exemption from US tariffs, saying 'no free trade without free speech'. Spokesmen for the Foreign Office and the Home Office declined to comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
NDTV
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- NDTV
Honda X-ADV Launched In India At Rs 11.90 Lakh
Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India has now launched the X-ADV maxi scooter in India. The brand claims that the maxi scooter has been designed blending the rugged spirit of an adventure motorcycle with the practicality of a maxi-scooter. Honda has also started taking bookings for the X-ADV maxi scooter at the Honda BigWing Dealerships, and the delivery is planned to commence from June. Honda X-ADV: Engine And Powertrain The Honda X-ADV gets a 745cc liquid-cooled SOHC 8-valve parallel-twin engine, and it produces 57 hp of power at 6,750 RPM and 69 Nm of maximum torque at 4,750 RPM. Honda X-ADV: Design And Hardware Honda has worked on the overall design of the X-ADV to comply with the "adventure" appeal. It stands on a tubular steel frame, with dual LED headlights and DRL. Honda X-ADV The Honda X-ADV gets a 17-inch front and 15-inch spoke wheel at the rear. The suspension duty is taken care by 41mm USD forks at the front and a spring preload adjustable monoshock on the rear. The braking setup includes dual radial mount four-piston calipers with 296mm discs up front and a single-piston caliper with 240mm disc at the rear. Honda X-ADV: Features The Honda X-ADV includes features like a USB Type-C charging port, a 5-inch full-colour TFT display. Also, Honda RoadSync app connectivity enables riders to receive calls and SMS alerts, access turn-by-turn navigation, and control music and voice commands. It gets riding features like ride-by-wire technology, four default riding modes - Standard, Sport, Rain, and Gravel. It also gets Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC) for optimal traction in varying road conditions and a cruise control system. Honda X-ADV TFT Screen Honda X-ADV: Price The Honda X-ADV has been launched in India at Rs 11.90 lakh (ex-showroom). The brand has also started taking bookings for the maxi-scooter, the delivery of which commences from June 2025.
