FDA
The FDA issued a rare Refusal-to-File letter to Moderna over its mRNA-based influenza vaccine application, in an unusual move that sent the biotech’s shares tumbling.
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The Senate failed to pass a massive spending bill on Thursday—which includes the rare pediatric PRV program but also funding for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s large-scale crackdown in Minnesota and other states.
Some 200 rare disease therapies are at risk of losing eligibility for a pediatric priority review voucher, a recent analysis by the Rare Disease Company Coalition shows. That could mean $4 billion in missed revenue for already cash-strapped biotechs.
Together with robust data-driven modeling, rethinking regulation and data use could push forward a notoriously challenging field.
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The FDA’s dramatic summer continues to unfold as news broke late Tuesday evening that Vinay Prasad will depart the agency, where he had been the head of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research for less than three months.
The swift FDA action removes an overhang from Sarepta and allows Elevidys to return to the market without another safety study, as had been feared, Jefferies analysts said Monday.
The Commissioner’s National Priority Vouchers aim to offer accelerated pathways to drugs that meet certain criteria, perhaps including a low price-tag. But the policy is vaguely defined and was announced without public input, going against the FDA’s own published practices, experts say.
CBER is unanimously against Elevdiys’ return to the market without additional evidence, according to media reports citing an anonymous senior FDA official. Given Elevidys’ full approval, however, experts told BioSpace this path would set up a length legal battle between the regulator and Sarepta Therapeutics.
The new target action date for Blenrep, which GSK is proposing for the second-line treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, is Oct. 23.
While FDA Commissioner Marty Makary emphasizes learning and humility, the FDA has systematically removed the very experience that would make change possible.
The FDA will select at most five companies that align with national priorities, including lower drug prices and increased domestic investment.
Sarepta Therapeutics’ stock has dropped precipitously as questions swirl around the safety of its gene therapies. Meanwhile, the Duchenne patient community fears losing access to Elevidys while the regulator considers more drastic action.
BMO Capital Markets pointed to FDA leadership, and CBER Director Vinay Prasad in particular, as potential factors in the agency’s decision to issue a complete response letter for Replimune’s viral treatment RP1 for advanced melanomas. Shares of the company tumbled 75% on Tuesday.
Tidmarsh, an adjunct professor at Stanford’s medical school, brings decades of industry experience to the table. Serving as director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research will be his first government position.