Evotec AG and Sernova Corp. are joining forces in a bid to develop a functional cure for type 1 diabetes. The companies plan to file an IND early in 2024 for a combined cell therapy and medical device product comprising Evotec’s human beta cells, derived from the company’s induced pluripotent stem cell platform, and Sernova’s Cell Pouch delivery system, which provides transplanted cells with a vascularized, physiologically appropriate environment that enables them to secrete insulin and other hormones involved in regulating blood glucose levels.
Kriya Therapeutics Inc. has raised a $270 million series C financing to further develop its pipeline of gene therapies for treating cancer, ophthalmological problems, and rare and chronic diseases. The Redwood City, Calif.-based company has greatly expanded its employee roster, from about seven people to around 160 people, since its $80 million series A in May 2020 and scaled its learning-enabled tech and cloud computing abilities. It also further solidified its technology, manufacturing, R&D, and therapeutics units, something it plans to continue with the series C money.
The U.S. FDA posted a final guidance for feasibility and early feasibility studies for non-traditional devices for type 2 diabetes, a document that is largely unchanged from the draft. This in the eyes of some stakeholders is precisely the problem as the final guidance retains a set point for rescue medication that some in industry believe is inappropriate for a study that does not seek to establish device effectiveness.
Six weeks ahead of its June 26 PDUFA date, the U.S. FDA has approved a priority NDA for Eli Lilly and Co.’s Mounjaro (tirzepatide), an injectable treatment for adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The once-weekly, first-in-class medicine activates both glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptors, which leads to improved blood sugar control. The potential market is massive, as 462 million people across the planet have T2D. The numbers have been growing 1.4% annually as the population ages and grows more obese.
Type 2 diabetes is known to involve many different underlying mechanisms, but the considerable heterogeneity in the phenotype is mostly ignored in how it is treated. Now, researchers at University of Dundee, U.K., have developed a method for visualizing this heterogeneity and shown how the risks of complications, such as chronic kidney disease or peripheral neuropathy, differ by phenotypes.
Arecor Therapeutics plc has presented early stage clinical data from a novel concentrated insulin formulation, which it hopes will outperform marketed rivals by allowing lower volume and reduced frequency doses. Cambridge, U.K.-based Arecor presented data at the International Advanced Technologies and Treatments for Diabetes meeting from AT-278, an investigational meal-time concentrated (500 U/mL) novel formulation of insulin.
Ascensia Diabetes Care Holdings AG aims to reduce the pain associated with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) just a bit with a new cost structure for Senseonics Holdings Inc.’ Eversense E3 CGM. The system, which lasts a ground-breaking six months without replacement, received FDA clearance in February.
A smart contacts lens that detects diabetes and treats diabetic retinopathy could provide patients with a more comfortable alternative to insulin shots and monitoring blood glucose levels. The product was developed by a research team at the Pohang University of Science & Technology (POSTECH) that includes Sei Kwang Hahn, the CEO of Seoul, South Korea-based Phi Biomed Co. Ltd.
The C-suite at Dexcom Inc. is breathing easy with the company having snagged CE marking for its latest continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system, the G7, less than two weeks after receiving FDA breakthrough device designation for its CGM for hospital use. “This all-new platform offers an incredibly powerful CGM that is simple to use, providing our users with insightful glucose data on one screen that helps them spend less time managing diabetes and more time doing the things they love. Dexcom G7 takes everything people love about G6 and makes it even better,” said Dexcom CEO Kevin Sayer.
A needle-free injection system for patients with diabetes developed by Nugen Medical Devices Inc. has been approved for use in 40 countries but until now has yet to crack the North American market. Nugen said it is now gearing up for FDA and Mexican approval of the Nugen MD needle-free injector following Health Canada’s approval of the system less than a month after the Toronto med tech went public in late 2021.
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