Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH’s and Astrazeneca plc’s implementation of a $35 monthly U.S. price cap on inhalers for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is adding to the pressure on Prasco Laboratories and GSK plc to follow suit with the pricing of an authorized generic of GSK’s Flovent (fluticasone propionate) inhaler.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reinstated patent claims covering Allergan USA Inc.'s bowel treatment drug Viberzi (eluxadoline), reversing a lower court that had invalidated the claims for not meeting obviousness-type double patenting or written description requirements. However, the appellate court said the district court “can, and should, address any other grounds of invalidity raised … at trial that are adequately supported by the record.”
China’s National Medical Products Administration cleared Ascentage Pharma Group Corp. Ltd. to begin a registrational phase III trial of its BCL-2 selective inhibitor lisaftoclax (APG-2575) in combination with azacitidine for first-line treatment of newly diagnosed patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome.
Executives of ARS Pharmaceuticals Inc. are anticipating a quick switch for severe allergy patients following the U.S. FDA approval of Neffy (epinephrine nasal spray 2 mg), marking the first needle-free treatment option.
Speculation about potentially wider meaning among developers of psychedelic drugs was reignited after the complete response letter (CRL) from the U.S. FDA to Lykos Therapeutics Inc. for midomafetaminecapsules, which the company wants to use in combination with psychological intervention to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). CEO Amy Emerson called the FDA move “deeply disappointing,” adding that San Jose, Calif.-based Lykos plans to request a meeting with the FDA to ask for reconsideration.
Concerns of lower-than-expected efficacy, which prompted AN2 Therapeutics Inc. to pause enrollment in the phase III portion of the phase II/III trial earlier this year, turned out to be well-founded, as top-line data proved disappointing for epetraborole in treatment-refractory Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) lung disease. As a result, the company is dropping the program and restructuring.
Aldeyra Therapeutics Inc. has bounced back from a complete response letter in November to produce positive phase III data for reproxalap in treating dry eye disease. The company is one of many developing treatments using diverse mechanisms of action.
Novo Nordisk A/S presented a mixed bag of R&D results for its cardiometabolic assets in the first half of 2024 as it axed three drug candidates but advanced one to a late-stage study. In the search for greener pastures beyond a crowding obesity market, Novo announced Aug. 7 that it advanced ziltivekimab into a phase III study to assess the subcutaneous therapy’s cardiovascular outcomes in acute myocardial infarction patients.
In December 2020, Servier Pharmaceuticals LLC bought Agios Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s approved acute myeloid leukemia drug, Tibsovo (ivosidenib), and the rest of its oncology business in a deal valued at up to $2 billion. Now, the U.S. FDA has approved one of those assets, with the brand name Voranigo (vorasidenib), for treating gliomas.
Big pharma continues to invest heavily into molecular glue degraders. The latest deal has Eisai Co. Ltd. striking up a research collaboration that could bring Seed Therapeutics Inc. up to $1.5 billion in up-front and milestone payments. The two said they plan to discover, develop and commercialize MGDs for several undisclosed neurodegeneration and oncology targets.