FDA
The regulator on Friday warned healthcare providers and patients about adverse events linked with dosing errors from compounded versions of Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss and diabetes drugs.
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New FDA expert panels, such as recent meetings on SSRI use during pregnancy and on hormone replacement therapy during menopause, are drawing criticism for being one-sided. One leader says such panels are designed to reach a specific conclusion.
Amid an unprecedented turnover in leadership at the FDA and mass layoffs of staff, communication has crumbled and uncertainty runs rampant, leaving small and medium biopharma companies without a clear path forward for their therapies.
Aside from the rare disease market, Novo Nordisk also scored a key regulatory win last month for its blockbuster GLP-1 drug Wegovy, which can now be used to treat patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.
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Following a delay and an initial rejection, UCB’s IL-17A/IL-17F blocker bimekizumab was approved for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, which will now be marketed with the brand name Bimzelx.
The complement inhibitor won the FDA’s approval for the treatment of generalized myasthenia gravis, a rare autoimmune disease. The therapy will be sold under the brand name Zilbrysq.
The company’s resubmission succeeded in getting the greenlight for tenapanor, now to be marketed as Xphozah, to lower serum phosphorus levels in chronic kidney disease patients.
The blockbuster PD-1 inhibitor’s label expanded further on Monday when the FDA greenlit Keytruda as a perioperative treatment for certain patients with earlier stages of non-small cell lung cancer.
The regulator approved the combination of Pfizer’s Braftovi and Mektovi for the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer in adult patients with a BRAF V600E mutation.
The regulator’s approval of oral, once-daily etrasimod, to be marketed as Velsipity, was based on favorable Phase III safety and efficacy data showing significant clinical remission of ulcerative colitis.
The Swiss pharma continues its winning streak with the FDA’s approval of the intravenous formulation of Cosentyx for ankylosing spondylitis, axial spondyloarthritis and psoriatic arthritis.
Recent FDA approvals of novel drugs based on less-than-stellar clinical evidence point to a trend toward regulatory flexibility—particularly in indications with very high unmet need.
Thursday’s approval comes after the FDA pushed back the target action dates for Amicus’ Biologics License Application in May, allowing the regulator more time to review the company’s submitted data.
After several rejections over 20-plus years, Fabre-Kramer Pharmaceuticals has secured the FDA’s approval for its major depressive disorder drug gepirone hydrochloride, now marketed under the brand name Exxua.