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The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices was scheduled to convene Oct. 22 to 23, but this meeting has been postponed, with no new date specified. The delay comes as the VA published new research showing that COVID-19 shots prevented hospitalizations and death.
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Smarter design through targeted delivery and human-relevant testing can save the industry from costly safety failures.
While Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitors are often hailed as the next big breakthrough in multiple sclerosis, Immunic Therapeutics and others are leveraging neuroprotective targets and remyelination to keep the disease at bay.
Following up on previous, dimly received issuances, a new set of ideas published by the FDA to streamline regulatory pathways for cell and gene therapies ‘for small populations’ is receiving a warmer welcome—but experts warn it will take more to turn the tide for the fraught therapeutic space.
Job Trends
In addition to cutting most of its staff, including two C-suite executives, Leap Therapeutics is winding down research and development activities and considering a sale or partnership opportunities.
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As we reflect on five years of COVID-19, it’s clear that the impacts are still unfolding. The life sciences—and we as individuals—will never be the same again.
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Cell and gene therapy experts question where the FDA designation fits in an environment that features a range of intersecting regulatory perks.
CDC
A new group of CDC advisors voted last month to separate the chickenpox vaccine from the measles, mumps, rubella components of the MMRV shot due to concerns over febrile seizures, while recommending a more risk-based approach to COVID-19 immunizations that mirrors recent FDA approvals.
ALS
The hold was placed earlier this year when the FDA asked for more preclinical data, but the agency was slow to respond due to ‘strain’ on its capacity, according to Neurizon.
AstraZeneca has invested heavily in AI, primarily through collaborations, including an up to $5.3 billion partnership with China’s CSPC Pharmaceutical in June.
This latest FDA program aims to provide speedier reviews for generic drugmakers who produce their products in the U.S.
Rocket Pharmaceuticals’ strategic realignment initiative in July pulled funding from fanca-cel, which the biotech was developing for Fanconi anemia.
The centerpiece of the collaboration is the gene editor ABO-101, being developed for primary hyperoxaluria type 1, a rare disease that leads to severe kidney stones.
As industry leaders gather at the annual event in Phoenix, the cell and gene therapy space remains in a state of flux, with M&A activity and regulatory support signaling momentum while commercialization challenges continue to hinder broader investor interest.
Jeanne Marrazzo, former director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease, was formally terminated Thursday after months on administrative leave, after filing a whistleblower report.
Expanded exemptions for orphan drugs could mean prolonged protections for top-selling drugs like Merck’s Keytruda, which was initially approved under this designation in 2014.