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Molecular glue degraders are gaining traction in the clinic as well as funding from Big Pharma, with their potential to treat previously “undruggable” cancers and immunological diseases. Here are five clinical programs worth keeping an eye on.
Last month, the FDA launched TrialBlazer, intended to streamline the IND path and bring early clinical trials and medical innovation home to the U.S. It’s a start, but new agency leadership must see it through.
FDA
Significant leadership instability at the FDA—compounded by continued workforce attrition—led to a slight slowdown in overall regulatory productivity in the first half of this year, but the agency has been catching up of late.
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Congressional letters sent to the CEOs of Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Merck, BMS and AbbVie this week voicing concerns about the pharmas’ clinical trials in China highlight an ongoing discrepancy in how government and industry think about the rise of the Asian country’s biotech industry.
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The companies contend that their updated COVID-19 vaccines for the fall vaccination season can elicit strong immune responses against the virus’ currently dominant and emerging subvariants.
The company disclosed Thursday in a second-quarter report that it will continue advancing its chronic refractory gout treatment but is suspending further investments in its pipeline.
The German company on Thursday said it is launching three late-stage studies of its obesity drug candidate after the injectable showed up to 19% weight loss after 46 weeks in a mid-stage trial.
Some experts question the value of recently issued FDA guidance that aims to address gaps in the quality of unapproved laboratory tests for cancer.
FDA
After two prior setbacks, the regulator has finally approved Ipsen’s palovarotene to treat fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva. It’s the first treatment for the ultra-rare bone disease.
Mifepristone’s legal saga continues as the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled for steep restrictions on the drug’s access, though its effectivity is pending the Supreme Court’s review.
The company’s first-in-class small molecule imipridone, ONC201, showed strong efficacy results in two early-stage clinical trials of 71 pediatric patients with H3K27M-mutant diffuse midline gliomas.
The clinical trial testing Seagen’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor Tukysa, in combination with Genentech’s Kadcyla, met the primary endpoint of progression-free survival in HER-2 breast cancer patients.
The regulator informed bluebird bio that it will not convene an advisory committee meeting to discuss the company’s application for the gene therapy being developed for sickle cell disease.
FDA
Following a nearly decade-long effort, Delcath Systems finally won the FDA’s greenlight for its Hepzato Kit for the liver-directed treatment of adult patients with metastatic uveal melanoma.