Alex has held a variety of editorial positions of increasing seniority on Scrip since joining the publication as a science reporter in 1998. Currently, she heads up the European editorial team coverage of commercial and R&D developments, while also writing news, analysis and features. Over the years, Alex has covered breakthroughs in R&D in a range of therapeutic areas, including infectious diseases, cardiology and cancer, and she enjoys interviewing key industry players and opinion leaders. Alex has a degree in Biochemistry and Microbiology from the University of Leeds and a keen interest in medical history.
Latest from Alexandra Shimmings
There was a reduction in the rate of expansion of the pharma pipeline last year but 2024 also saw another welcome increase in the number of drug candidates in Phase III following years of stagnation.
It might be the beginning of the end for the orphan drugs party but there is still sales growth enjoyment to be had for the sector, whose star performers are now looking increasingly like mainstream drugs.
The Texas-based firm is giving up on the investigational Alzheimer’s therapy after a second Phase III failure left it with nowhere to go in the disease.
The future of kappa opioid receptor antagonism as a therapeutic strategy in major depressive disorder is looking increasingly bleak after J&J dropped aticaprant from development, but rival Neumora is pressing on with navacaprant.
The Anglo-Irish biotech has been left surprised by Hookipa’s change of heart after it agreed a sale to create a US-listed entity as the year began.
Argenx has discontinued Vyvgart for the rare skin disease as other potential candidates linger in the very early stages of development.