Drug Delivery

FEATURED STORIES
Following FDA rejections, Regeneron and Scholar Rock are turning to other facilities to clear regulatory logjams created by quality problems at an ex-Catalent facility in Indiana. Novo Nordisk, meanwhile, has been tight-lipped about whether its own FDA applications have been affected.
Experts suggest the FDA’s Advanced Manufacturing Technologies designation could be a lifeline for improving production processes for approved cell and gene therapies.
Novo Nordisk goes “on the offensive” following Trump deal that also included rival Eli Lilly, putting an exclamation point on rapidly declining GLP-1 drug prices. Experts say the unusual situation makes it hard to predict what’s next.
Subscribe to Manufacturing Brief!
Weekly insight into the biggest trends in biopharma manufacturing
THE LATEST
As Novo Nordisk’s weight loss drug enters the Chinese market, its patent is expiring in two years and biosimilar competition is rising.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday said he intends to have a “significant package of China-related legislation” signed into law by the end of this year, including the BIOSECURE Act which intends to stop federal contracts with Chinese “companies of concern.”

A federal judge ruled last week that the U.S. government can use its economic standing as a bulk purchaser to negotiate for better deals, handing Boehringer Ingelheim a loss in its legal challenge to the Inflation Reduction Act.
Two CRLs from the FDA last week cited concerns with third-party manufacturers, while Indian CDMOs may make a bid for U.S. business if there is a decoupling from Chinese companies under the BIOSECURE Act.
President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders in a Tuesday op-ed in USA Today called on Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly to “stop ripping off Americans” with “unconscionably high prices” for their GLP-1 medicines.
Samsung Biologics announced Tuesday it has signed its largest contract ever—a $1.06 billion manufacturing deal with an unnamed pharmaceutical company headquartered in the U.S.
FDA
AbbVie and Merck/Daiichi Sankyo were hit this week with Complete Response Letters from the FDA, which rejected their respective drugs due to manufacturing issues.
The FDA on Thursday rejected Merck and Daiichi Sankyo’s HER3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate patritumab deruxtecan in a Complete Response Letter, citing problems with a third-party manufacturer.
Pictured: Biopharma items with cyber accents
Scrutiny of WuXi Raises Potential Opportunities for Indian CDMOs
As congressional pressure increases on WuXi AppTec and other China-based companies over alleged ties to the Chinese government, India’s contract development and manufacturing organization sector could benefit.
Novo Nordisk on Monday announced it is boosting its manufacturing capabilities with a $4.1 billion commitment to construct a second fill and finishing facility in Clayton, North Carolina.