Following the company’s COVID-19 manufacturing misstep, Emergent Biosolutions Inc. continued its struggle to rebalance as top-line data from a phase III study it participated in failed to hit its primary endpoints with statistically significant results. The data showed that adding anti-SARS-CoV-2 hyperimmunoglobulin to standard of care, inclusive of remdesivir, for hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients with symptoms for less than 12 days failed to provide clinical benefit when compared to standard of care plus placebo. The global, multicenter double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized study assessed the safety and efficacy of four immunoglobulin candidates, the SARS-CoV-2 immune globulin intravenous (human) (COVID-HIG) plus standard of care.
LONDON – A new route to the approval of drugs promises to smooth the path from clinical trials to approval, reimbursement and commissioning in the National Health Service, through closer and earlier collaboration between the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and health technology assessment bodies.
Unveiling short-of-the-mark top-line results from the phase IIb trial with MS-1819 in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), Azurrx Biopharma Inc. CEO James Sapirstein told investors during a conference call that “even if we had shown great success” in the study, more work had to be done for the enzyme to be commercialized. “We need to fix our formulation,” he said. “I’ve been saying this for a long time. It’s not a surprise to us.”
Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Anavex, Aptorum, Athersys, Biontech, Equillium, Flexion, Istari, Kamada, Nascent, Outlook, Pfizer, Pharnext, Regeneron.
If these top-line phase III results were a grade card for 12- to 15-year-olds, they would be on the honor roll: The Pfizer Inc.-Biontech SE COVID-19 vaccine is 100% effective for the age group and produced robust antibody responses.
Sage Therapeutics Inc. on March 17 disclosed another batch of positive phase III data with zuranolone, its oral, once-daily, two-week therapy for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) and postpartum depression. News regarding the GABAA receptor-positive allosteric modulator came the same day that Praxis Precision Medicines Inc. reported fourth-quarter and full-year financial results, updating investors on PRAX-114, its drug in the same class for MDD.
Inflarx NV has submitted a special protocol assessment (SPA) to the FDA for the phase III trial with vilobelimab against the skin disorder hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), pleasing investors with clarity regarding the path forward for the drug, which is in the works for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV) as well – and faces competition on both fronts.
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