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Ensho Therapeutics CEO Neena Bitritto-Garg, recently named to BioSpace’s 40 Under 40, proved her mettle managing one of the toughest partnerships out there: the one between Eisai and Biogen that led to new Alzheimer’s drugs Aduhelm and Leqembi.
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FDA
By publishing complete response letters as soon as they are issued to drug sponsors, the FDA is expanding transparency in a way that, while positioned as a public health measure, also grants investors greater visibility into regulatory decisions. Experts question whether this is the agency’s proper remit.
From more than 30 target action dates in the last three months of the year, BioSpace has narrowed the list to six regulatory decisions that could have far-reaching implications for biopharma and patients.
In one of the first demonstrations of the impact of last year’s Loper Supreme Court decision on challenges to agency authority, a judge ruled that the FDA does not have authority to regulate tests developed by clinical laboratories.
Job Trends
Merck Animal Health, known as MSD Animal Health outside of the United States and Canada, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA, announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture approval of NOBIVAC® NXT Canine Flu H3N2, a next-level solution to help safeguard dogs against the ongoing threat of canine influenza.
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Read our takes on the biggest stories happening in the industry.
Unpredictable communication and a lack of transparency are eroding the industry’s and the public’s trust. The FDA, experts agree, needs to take control of the narrative.
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To tailor cancer therapies to individual patients, Moderna, BioNTech and other companies are rethinking how they optimize manufacturing schedules and resources.
The anti-CD20 antibody, developed by Roche’s Genentech along with Biogen and already approved for multiple oncology indications, is branching into autoimmune disease. Its B cell–targeting mechanism of action gives it activity in improving kidney conditions in patients with lupus nephritis.
FDA
Last month, investors’ hopes were dashed as Replimune suggested alignment had not yet been reached with the FDA on RP1’s future. Now, the regulator has accepted a refiled application after all.
Ivonescimab’s progression-free survival data in non-small cell lung cancer bode well for an upcoming overall survival readout, according to Truist analysts, who noted that “OS is likely to be statistically significant” in favor of the PD-1/VEGF bispecific.
Several sources are speculating that the potential buyer could be Eli Lilly, despite the breakdown of the pharma’s partnership with Nektar over atopic dermatitis therapy rezpeg.
Rybelsus can now be used as a primary or secondary prevention pill to lower the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in at-risk patients with type 2 diabetes.
Glaukos’ Epioxa allows cross-linking therapy for keratoconus without requiring an incision. The biotech expects to launch the drug early next year.
Recent headlines proclaim a ‘potential’ or ‘functional’ cure for multiple myeloma, but the fight against the disease must continue.
FDA
After a chaotic year that has seen the attrition of over half the FDA’s senior leadership, many of these individuals have landed new roles—at Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Iovance and more. The FDA’s loss, it seems, is largely the pharmaceutical industry’s gain.
CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz clarified that a deal has not yet been sealed with the manufacturer of semaglutide, Novo Nordisk, or any other GLP-1 drugmaker.