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As with recent rejections for Biogen and Scholar Rock, manufacturing issues stymied a regulatory bid from Fortress Biotech and Sentynl Therapeutics. Fortress said the FDA did not flag problems with the drug’s safety or efficacy.
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FDA
The FDA in September issued two rejections for spinal muscular atrophy therapies—both linked to manufacturing problems—and granted approvals in Barth syndrome and for a subcutaneous version of Merck’s Keytruda that could be key to the blockbuster’s future earnings.
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.
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
WARN notices provide a heads up that staff will soon be unemployed, but the act that mandates them has some nuances. An attorney explains how the law works, common misconceptions about it and how it helps those about to lose their jobs.
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Read our takes on the biggest stories happening in the industry.
With President Donald Trump expected to deliver a drug pricing order on Monday that Big Pharma and patient groups alike have railed against, the industry’s tumultuous ride is far from over.
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MET-097i’s mid-stage performance “bodes well” for Pfizer’s proposed buyout of Metsera, according to BMO Capital Markets, a deal centered heavily on the investigational GLP-1 drug.
Despite tolerability concerns, nomlabofusp’s overall efficacy represents a “large win” for Larimar, according to analysts at William Blair, who lauded the therapy’s functional benefits.
Already approved in Japan, China and other Asian countries, Crystalys’ dotinurad works to lower serum uric acid levels.
Without naming Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, the CDER director in a now-deleted LinkedIn post claimed that for lupus nephritis, companies have not conducted post-approval studies “to demonstrate a benefit on hard clinical endpoints.”
Companies are moving from using AI for distinct operations to applying the technology for control and optimization of the whole production process.
Reshoring generic pharmaceutical production is essential in today’s era of geopolitical instability and heightened awareness surrounding national health security. And it is possible—if done right.
After Emma Walmsley steps down as GSK CEO in January, Vertex Pharma’s Reshma Kewalramani will be the sole female CEO at a top-20 pharma company. Still, there are many prominent women in pharma that could someday break through again.
Chief Commerical Officer Luke Miels will replace outgoing GSK CEO Emma Walmsley at the U.K. pharma next year.
The AAV pullback comes amid Biogen’s aggressive cost-cutting campaign, which put some 1,000 jobs on the chopping block with the goal of generating $1 billion in savings by 2025.
Applied Therapeutics has yet to confirm whether the study, posted on Clinicaltrials.gov on Thursday, means it has indeed aligned with the FDA on govorestat’s development.