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Clinical Profiles
‘THE ART OF MS – SYMPTOMS UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT’ EXHIBITION ‘The Art of MS – Symptoms Under the Spotlight’ is an art exhibition created by MS Ireland in partnership with Novartis Ireland and opened recently featuring 12 original works of art created by people living with MS in Ireland. The exhibition has been organised to raise awareness of MS and the wide-ranging symptoms of the disease to mark World MS Day 2022. The 12 works of art on display were shortlisted by a panel of judges and chosen for their ability to impactfully depict the many symptoms of MS, many of which are invisible and unknown to the general public such as fatigue, vision impairment, depression and difficulties with memory and thinking[i]. The exhibition will feature paintings, digital illustrations, freestanding sculptures and creative video content all of which aim to help the viewer better understand what it is like to live with MS day to day. Méabh Hennelly is a featured artist who lives with MS, aged 25. Her piece, entitled ‘Secret Central
Pictured at the launch of The Art of MS – Symptoms Under the Spotlight are Ava Battles Chief Executive MS Ireland and Audrey Derveloy, General Manager, Novartis Ireland. Picture: Andres Poveda
System’ is a 3D printed sculpture which is intact from the front and exposes the brain and spinal cord from the back, representing the hidden nature of MS. Ava Battles, Chief Executive of MS Ireland said “One of the big challenges for people living with MS is trying to articulate their symptoms to others when so much of their disease is invisible. Without understanding, empathy is limited as people do not realise how debilitating the disease can be on all aspects of the person’s life. The beauty of our exhibition opening today is that people have been able to show through art what they find hard to articulate in words. I would encourage everyone to visit The Art of MS – Symptoms Under the Spotlight exhibition and show your support for the 9,000 people in Ireland living with this disease.” Audrey Derveloy, General Manager and Country President, Novartis Ireland speaking about the opening of The Art of MS – Symptoms Under the Spotlight said, “At Novartis Ireland we are committed to supporting the community of people living with MS in Ireland as they navigate both the management of their disease as well as day to day life living with the broad ranging symptoms. We hope that The Art of MS – Symptoms Under the Spotlight will help the wider community to better understand and proactively manage their disease and I would like to personally thank all the artists
who have exhibited their work to mark World MS Day.” The Art of MS – Symptoms under the Spotlight is accessible to the public from Thursday 26 May to Wednesday 1 June 2022 from 9am-5pm and is located at the main foyer of Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, 152 - 160 Pearse St, Dublin 2. Find more information about MS and to view the profiles of the artists who will feature at the exhibition at www.MS-Society.ie SANOFI GRANTS REGENERON WORLDWIDE EXCLUSIVE LICENSE RIGHTS TO LIBTAYO® (CEMIPLIMAB) Sanofi restructures its immunooncology collaboration with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Under the amended and restated license and collaboration agreement, Regeneron will obtain worldwide exclusive license rights to Libtayo. The Sanofi and Regeneron global immuno-oncology license and collaboration agreement was originally executed in 2015. Prior to today, the companies had split Libtayo’s worldwide operating profits equally and co-commercialized Libtayo in the U.S., with Sanofi solely responsible for commercialization in the rest of the world. Bill Sibold, Executive Vice President of Specialty Care & President of North America, Sanofi said, “Our diverse oncology portfolio doubled between 2019 and 2022 and now includes twelve compounds in clinical trials, each with a unique mechanism of action. Our early steps with Libtayo in immunooncology provided a strong foundation for our revitalized oncology efforts. Now, we are focused on leveraging our internal capabilities and advancing a new generation of oncology medicines. We continue to maintain a strong partnership with Regeneron in immunology, and will work closely with them on the seamless transition of Libtayo to ensure there is no impact for patients.” Under the terms of the amended and restated immuno-oncology license and collaboration agreement, Sanofi will transfer the rights to develop, commercialize, and manufacture Libtayo entirely to Regeneron, on a worldwide basis, over the course of a defined transition period (to start upon receipt of any required governmental clearances worldwide). In exchange, Sanofi will receive an upfront payment of $900 million, and an 11% royalty on worldwide net sales of Libtayo.
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Sanofi will also be entitled to a $100 million regulatory milestone payment upon the first approval by either the FDA or European Commission of Libtayo in combination with chemotherapy for first-line treatment of certain patients with NSCLC, as well as sales-related milestone payments of up to $100 million in total over the next two years. The transaction is subject to clearance under competition law and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2022. Regeneron will also accelerate reimbursement of the development balance associated with Regeneron and Sanofi’s separate Antibody Collaboration. Regeneron will increase from 10% to 20% the share of its profits that are paid to Sanofi to reimburse Sanofi-funded development expenses, until Regeneron’s share of the total cumulative development costs incurred under the collaboration has been reached. Sanofi continues to build its considerable expertise in oncology and has increased research and development capabilities, focusing on difficult to treat cancers including breast, blood, and lung. We are committed to translating scientific discoveries into potential new treatments and addressing critical gaps in cancer care. UNAIDS RESPONDS TO VIIV’S ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE LICENSING OF LONG-ACTING CABOTEGRAVIR HIV medicine manufacturer Viiv has announced that it is “actively negotiating” a voluntary license with the Medicines Patent Pool on long-acting Cabotegravir. The World Health Organization will soon issue updated global guidelines on the appropriate application of new long-acting HIV medicines. Responding to the announcement made by Viiv, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director a.i. Matt Kavanagh said, “Last year there were 1.5 million new HIV infections, which shows the urgency of global access to new tools to overcome this pandemic. A successful global HIV response depends on the sharing of technologies. We are encouraged by ViiV’s announcement of negotiations with the Medicines Patent Pool, which has followed engagement by UN partners, financing agencies, civil society, and others. The announcement is an important sign of progress toward affordable global access to this technology for the HIV response;
