FDA
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In Same Day, UCB Lands Two FDA Drug Approvals in Autoimmune Diseases
FDA approval of UCB’s Bimzelx gives the Belgian drugmaker a contender in the crowded plaque psoriasis therapies market. In the rare disease generalized myasthenia gravis, the agency approved Zilbrysq, a UCB drug with advantages over two blockbuster AstraZeneca drugs addressing the same target.
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Artificial Intelligence, BioPharma, Health Tech
FDA Forms New Digital Health Advisory Committee to Cover Growing Role of Tech
The FDA’s digital health advisory committee will discuss technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, virtual reality, and digital therapeutics as well as topics like decentralized clinical trials and patient-generated health data. Committee member nominations are due in December.
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Jorie Healthcare CEO Shares Why Automation is Critical to Revenue Cycle Management
The revenue cycle management business is using AI tools to automate cumbersome tasks to help hospitals operate more efficiently. It’s beginning to attract the attention of major healthcare organizations.
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Pfizer Expands in Immunology With FDA Approval of New Ulcerative Colitis Drug
Pfizer’s new FDA-approved ulcerative colitis drug Velsipity comes from its $6.7 billion Arena Pharmaceuticals acquisition. The small molecule will compete against blockbuster Bristol Myers Squibb drug Zeposia, which addresses the same target.
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FDA Rejection Is a Delay, Not a Detour for Alnylam’s Aim to Treat Heart Disorder
Despite an affirmative FDA advisory committee vote, the agency declined to approve Alnylam Pharmaceuticals’ Onpattro for treating the heart complications caused by a rare, inherited protein disorder. But Alnylam has other drugs candidates for the disease, including one expected to post Phase 3 data in the first half of 2024.
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Takeda to Pull Lung Cancer Drug from Market After Failed Confirmatory Study
Takeda Pharmaceutical drug Exkivity failed the confirmatory study required of its 2021 accelerated approval. Our recap of other recent regulatory developments includes a partial clinical hold on a cancer drug, a Covid-19 vaccine authorization, and several drug approvals in the U.S. and beyond.
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Kyowa Kirin Buys Into Gene Therapy With Orchard Therapeutics Acquisition
The Orchard Therapeutics acquisition comes as the biotech’s gene therapy for metachromatic leukodystrophy approaches a March 2024 FDA decision. The ex vivo gene therapy is already commercialized in Europe, marketed as Libmeldy.
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FDA Authorizes Novavax’s Covid-19 Vax, Set to Join Fall Rollout of Updated Shots
Novavax’s updated version of its Covid-19 vaccine is now FDA authorized for use in the U.S., joining the approved shots from Moderna and partners Pfizer and BioNTech. Novavax said its protein-based vaccine will be available in coming days.
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BrainStorm’s ALS Data Fail to Persuade FDA Advisors, Who Vote Down the Stem Cell Therapy
NurOwn, BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics’ experimental stem cell therapy for ALS, did not win the backing of an independent panel of FDA advisors. Many advisory committee members said they want to see more data from another clinical trial, the same guidance the FDA has given the biotech for nearly three years.
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Contamination Risk Sparks a Recall of GSK, Scynexis Antifungal Drug
Scynexis said no adverse events or contamination problems have been reported for Brexafemme, an antifungal approved for treating vaginal yeast infections. The biotech said the risk of cross-contamination stems from the processes of the small molecule’s third-party manufacturer.
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Navigating Healthcare’s Data Revolution: Priorities, Opportunities, and Challenges for Health Systems
Arcadia recently partnered with HIMSS Market Insights to survey executives, IT, technology, and clinical leaders. Here’s what we found.
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Once a Blockbuster Prospect, Is Travere’s Kidney Drug on Track to Become a Bust?
Seven months after Travere Therapeutics’ flagship drug received accelerated FDA approval in a rare kidney disease, the molecule has fallen short of the key goal of its confirmatory test. It’s the small molecule’s second Phase 3 failure this year.
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FDA Rejects ARS Pharma’s Nasal Spray Alternative to Injectable Epinephrine
ARS Pharmaceuticals frames its intranasal epinephrine spray as a needle-free alternative to products such as EpiPen. Though this spray won the backing of an FDA advisory committee, the agency is now requiring that ARS Pharma run another study to support a regulatory submission.
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FDA Approves GSK Myelofibrosis Med That Has Edge Over Others in Drug Class
FDA approval of GSK’s Ojjaara in myelofibrosis introduces a new competitor to blockbuster Incyte drug Jakafi. Ojjaara was part of GSK’s $1.9 billion acquisition of Sierra Oncology last year.
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FDA Approves Updated Covid-19 Vaccines to Address Now Circulating Variants
The FDA said the updated messenger RNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna will protect against the omicron subvariants now prevalent in circulation. Left out of the FDA decision is Novavax, whose protein-based vaccine is still under regulatory review.
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Twice Rejected Diabetes Drug/Device Product Gets New Chance at Startup i2o
Intarcia Therapeutics’ GLP-1 agonist product candidate for type 2 diabetes now belongs to i2o Therapeutics, which will make the treatment’s case for approval at an upcoming FDA advisory committee meeting. The startup’s $46 million Series A financing is one of several recently announced funding rounds.
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Senate Bill Proposes Slashing ‘Red Tape’ Around Biosimilar Interchangeability
Legislation introduced by Utah Senator Mike Lee would eliminate testing to show a biosimilar can be substituted for a reference biologic product. Lee contends the current testing requirement adds costs and delays market access for these lower-cost biological medicines.