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 restrictions on Novavax’s vaccine could portend changes at the FDA. Commissioner Marty Makary suggested last week that the agency could update its vaccine approval guidelines “in the coming days.”
Analysts at BMO Capital Markets said in a weekend note that a non-invasive blood test could help boost uptake of Alzheimer’s disease therapies.
While sparking excitement among biopharma companies focused on rare and ultrarare indications, experts say FDA Commissioner Marty Makary’s proposal is light on details and raises potential concerns about safety, access and liability.
The FDA and NIH recently announced plans to phase out animal testing requirements for some therapies. While organoid and AI providers celebrate, scientists warn that questions over safety, applicability and implementation remain.
While the Trump administration has painted the jettisoning of staff and regulations as good for business, there are multiple reasons it’s unlikely to work out that way.
The FDA also approved the use of Zynyz as a monotherapy for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal who are intolerant to platinum chemotherapy or whose disease has progressed.
As the FDA prepares for a busy Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee meeting next week, an agency insider told BioSpace that volunteers with little training are scrambling to secure the required expertise after workforce cuts decimated the adcomm planning office.
The FDA also changed its tune and is now planning to convene an advisory committee to discuss Biohaven’s application.
AbbVie’s Emrelis is the first non-small cell lung cancer therapy approved for patients with high c-Met expression levels who have received prior lines of treatment.
The FDA expects to fully integrate its AI approach by June 30, though its different centers have been instructed to start the rollout immediately.