LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Drugmakers are betting that a new wave of medicines for cancer, diabetes, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and hepatitis will shape up as tomorrow’s blockbusters in the coming 12 months.

With the industry regaining some of its swagger after winning 39 new drug approvals last year – a record only beaten in 1996 – there are signs the improving trend could continue through 2013.

LONDON (Reuters) – Fragile economies and extreme weather have combined to crank up the global risk dial in the past year, creating an increasingly dangerous mix, according to the World Economic Forum.

Despite Europe’s avoidance of a euro break-up in 2012 and the United States stepping back from its fiscal cliff, business leaders and academics fear politicians are failing to address fundamental problems.

LONDON (Reuters) – The Western world’s first drug to fix faulty genes promises to transform the lives of patients with an ultra-rare disease that clogs their blood with fat. The only snag is the price.

The gene therapy for lipoprotein lipase deficiency (LPLD), a hereditary disorder that raises the risk of potentially lethal inflammation of the pancreas, is likely to cost more than $1 million (617,000 pounds) per patient when it goes on sale in Europe this summer.

LONDON (Reuters) – The Western world’s first drug to fix faulty genes promises to transform the lives of patients with an ultra-rare disease that clogs their blood with fat. The only snag is the price.

The gene therapy for lipoprotein lipase deficiency (LPLD), a hereditary disorder that raises the risk of potentially lethal inflammation of the pancreas, is likely to cost more than $1 million per patient when it goes on sale in Europe this summer.

LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. regulators approved 39 new drugs in 2012, the most in 16 years, suggesting that pharmaceutical makers are poised for growth after losing billions of dollars in recent years to generic drug makers because of patent expirations.

There were eight approvals in December alone, including a new treatment from Johnson & Johnson called Sirturo for drug-resistant tuberculosis approved on Monday, the first new TB drug in decades.

FRANKFURT, Dec 19 (Reuters) – An experimental lung cancer
vaccine from Germany’s Merck KGaA failed to improve
survival in a pivotal study, dealing a blow to the company and
the high-risk field of using vaccines to fight tumours.

Stimuvax, which Merck licensed from U.S. biotech firm
Oncothyreon, failed to increase overall survival in the
Phase III clinical trial, the German chemicals and
pharmaceuticals group said on Wednesday.

LONDON (Reuters) – The number of new medicines approved or pending approval is on the rise on both sides of the Atlantic, painting an encouraging picture for the global drugs industry as it emerges from a wave of patent expiries.

European regulators said on Tuesday that they expect an increase in new drug applications to about 54 in 2013. In the United States, a total of 34 new drugs have been approved for sale so far in 2012 – the highest level in eight years.

LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) – France’s Vivalis and Austrian vaccine specialist Intercell are linking up in a rare cross-border deal that shows the need for Europe’s fledgling biotech companies to grow in scale and produce a stronger pipeline to better compete in the quest for lucrative partnership deals.

Vivalis is set to buy Intercell in a deal valuing the Austrian vaccine maker at around 133 million euros ($174 million), and creating an enlarged anti-infectives specialist in the fragmented European biotech industry.

LONDON (Reuters) – A novel drug to fight alcohol dependency was given a green light by European regulators on Friday, providing a boost to Danish drugmaker Lundbeck at a time when its top product faces a big drop in sales.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Friday it recommended approval of Selincro in conjunction with counseling for the reduction of alcohol consumption in adults dependent on drink.

LONDON (Reuters) – AstraZeneca’s (AZN.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) new CEO Pascal Soriot needs to take risks if he is to replicate the kind of turnaround pulled off by Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMY.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) – another drugmaker down in the dumps a few years ago.

The former Roche (ROG.VX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) executive is preparing to invest in deals and fast-track some research projects, but given the group’s poor track record in finding winners, he will also have to work hard to keep shareholders on side.