FDA
Analysts called the approval a much-needed win for Novo Nordisk, but warned that the company could struggle to grow sales once rival drugs come to market.
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Representatives of companies including AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson and Merck have voiced concerns about the FDA’s approach to pre-approval inspections.
With notable therapies from Biogen, Sarepta and MacroGenics failing to show efficacy in pivotal or confirmatory trials, experts question the use of biomarker evidence for approval while one former regulator insists that a “failed trial is not a failed drug.”
Coming up in the back half of December, the FDA will issue a verdict on Vanda Pharmaceuticals’ gastroparesis drug tradipitant, which it rejected last September, triggering a very public dispute with the company.
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The approval tees GSK up to challenge Sanofi and Regeneron, which in September 2024 won the first biologic approval for COPD for their blockbuster antibody Dupixent.
The advisory committee meeting comes days after the FDA unveiled a new risk-based approval framework for COVID-19 vaccines.
Canada’s health agency says it has been “taking all necessary action safeguard the drug supply and ensure Canadians have access to the prescription drugs they need.”
The FDA’s independent advisors found Pfizer’s data lacked the precision needed to establish the efficacy of Talzenna in patients with prostate cancer who do not carry HRR mutations.
The FDA had given Pfizer and Moderna until May 17 to propose changes to the labels of their COVID-19 vaccines or challenge the agency’s directive. The products’ labels already include myocarditis warnings, albeit for different age groups.
After discussions with the FDA, Moderna has withdrawn its application for a combination shot, which had demonstrated efficacy in eliciting antibodies in data announced earlier this month.
The ODAC cited concerns with patient populations in clinical trials used to support the proposed expansion. Johnson & Johnson fared better, with the FDA’s cancer advisors voting to recommend Darzalex in patients with a certain type of multiple myeloma.
The new framework was well-received by biopharma analysts, who say it “largely formalizes” current COVID-19 vaccination trends.
In an interview on Friday, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary threw his weight behind psychedelic therapies, noting that patients taking these substances experience significant benefits for various neuropsychiatric conditions.
In a year when eradicated diseases are on the uptick in America, how will American children survive RFK Jr.’s vaccine scrutiny and inconsistency? Two experts call on pharma and regulatory bodies to rebuild trust.