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FDA
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary intends to resign on Tuesday, according to several sources. This report follows a tumultuous 13-month tenure in which Makary oversaw the controversial rejections of several rare disease drugs and “predictable volatility” within the agency.
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New guidelines from two leading medical associations suggest that efforts to reduce bad cholesterol should focus on maintaining low levels of two key lipoproteins. Big pharma is all in, looking to improve on the standard statins to help vanquish America’s number one killer: heart disease.
The FDA’s decision last year to make complete response letters public provides new insight into why therapies sometimes fail to get the regulatory greenlight. Analysts say the information could help sponsors refine their regulatory strategies.
The Department of Health and Human Services is spinning its wheels, unable to establish steady leadership at three major divisions—the CDC and the FDA’s two primary review units.
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Read our takes on the biggest stories happening in the industry.
FDA
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s health department has consistently touted radical transparency as being key to its mission. Recent instances—the FDA’s decision not to disclose the recipients of three Commissioner’s National Priority Vouchers and FDA and CDC choices not to publish vaccine-related papers—call this intent into question.
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Altimmune’s obesity candidate pemvidutide strongly preserved lean muscle mass, with fat accounting for more than 78% of weight lost by participants in a Phase II study.
Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy elicited greater weight loss in women than in men with heart failure, according to data presented Sunday at the American Diabetes Association’s 2024 Scientific Sessions.
The combined company began trading Friday under the Nasdaq symbol TECX. A $130 million private placement was also completed, with a cash runway into mid-2027.
Jazz Pharmaceuticals’ calcium channel modulator suvecaltamide in a mid-stage trial was unable to significantly lower tremor burden in patients with essential tremor, the company reported Thursday.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ three cystic fibrosis drugs—Kaftrio/Trikafta, Symkevi and Orkambi—will now be available through England’s National Health Service, following the signing of a long-term reimbursement agreement.
Vanda Pharmaceuticals has rejected two unsolicited takeover offers, saying that they are “opportunistic attempts” to acquire the biotech at a heavily discounted price.
FDA
While Thursday’s label expansion and traditional approval for the gene therapy is an important milestone, many challenges still face the Duchenne muscular dystrophy community.
Zealand Pharma’s petrelintide cut body weight by more than 8% on average, with a good overall safety and tolerability profile.
FDA
On the heels of a Phase III flop for Pfizer’s Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy candidate, the FDA has green lighted the expanded use of Sarepta Therapeutics’ Elevidys.
The pharma industry is staring down the barrel of a widespread loss of exclusivity, with more than 190 products going off-patent between 2022 and 2030. Here are some strategies company are employing to manage the drop in revenue.