Given the demand for Ozempic and Wegovy and the revenue the GLP-1 drugs are generating for Novo Nordisk A/S in the U.S., a lot of generic companies are clamoring to cash in on the drugs’ current popularity. And there are some U.S. lawmakers more than willing to oblige.
With two drugs cleared by the U.S. FDA for Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) in less than seven days, Wall Street was pondering the differences between the compounds, given what’s known so far about each. Most recently, the FDA approved Intrabio Inc.’s Aqneursa (levacetylleucine) on its PDUFA date for the treatment of neurological manifestations of NPC in adults and pediatric patients weighing at least 15 kg, making Aqneursa the only approved stand-alone therapy indicated for NPC. On Sept. 20, Zevra Therapeutics Inc. won FDA clearance for Miplyffa (arimoclomol) as the first treatment for NPC.
Genespire Srl has closed a €46.6 million (~$52 million) series B financing to support its work developing off-the-shelf gene therapies based on immune shielded lentiviral vectors (ISLVs) for pediatric patients with genetic diseases.
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc. has filed for regulatory clearance to initiate a phase I/IIa trial of ARO-INHBE, the company’s investigational RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic being developed for obesity.
Breakthrough – or even better, revolutionary breakthrough – is perhaps the most overused term in drug development. But the discovery and development of GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), which was honored with the 2024 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award just last week, is one of the rare innovations that is deserving of the title.
While in the hot seat at a Sept. 24 U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing, Novo Nordisk A/S President and CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen said he would sit down with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and the three largest pharmacy benefit managers to discuss lowering the list prices for the company’s popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy.
An innovation that has kickstarted a revolution in the study and practice of health care is getting even more attention. Three scientists who pioneered the discovery and development of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based obesity treatments have been named 2024 Lasker Award winners.
Ascletis Pharma Inc. is entering the obesity space, announcing it has begun two phase I trials for ASC-30, a small-molecule glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist that can be dosed once monthly subcutaneously and once daily orally for treating obesity.
What the results might mean for the future of other developers in the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) weight-loss arena came into question after Novo Nordisk A/S unveiled phase IIa findings with monlunabant, a small-molecule oral inverse agonist, formerly INV-202.
An innovation that has kickstarted a revolution in the study and practice of health care is getting even more attention. Three scientists who pioneered the discovery and development of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based obesity treatments have been named 2024 Lasker Award winners.