Multiple updates on TROP2-directed antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for lung and breast cancers highlight both progress made and opportunities for improvement for the targeted class of cancer therapeutics.
Abbott Laboratories received CE mark approval for two dual glucose and ketone sensing systems, bringing to the market sensors that could be transformational to the lives of people with diabetes at risk of diabetic ketoacidosis.
GSK plc has announced a breakthrough in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B, reporting a functional cure rate of 19% across two phase III trials of its antisense oligonucleotide bepirovirsen.
There are initial signs that President Donald Trump’s most-favored nation (MFN) policy may be further delaying access to new drugs in Europe, as companies hold off commercializing in these countries to avoid lower European prices being referenced in the U.S.
Acknowledging that the spread of the Andes virus and the resulting disease, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, “constitutes a credible risk of a future public health emergency,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy is issuing a declaration to provide liability protection for manufacturers, distributors and providers using favipiravir as a medical countermeasure (MCM) against the virus.
Less than two weeks after the outbreak was officially declared, animal studies of a newly designed vaccine against the Bundibugyo Ebola virus are now underway in the U.S. and U.K., and the Serum Institute of India is standing ready to manufacture the vaccine for clinical trials. If the animal tests are positive, the vaccine will be ready for clinical trials in two to three months.
Medtronic plc is strengthening its pain management portfolio with its $650 million move to buy SPR Therapeutics Inc. and bring the company’s peripheral nerve stimulation system for sustained pain relief into its neuromodulation offering. The deal marks Medtronic’s third tuck-in deal so far this year, following its $585 million purchase of Cathworks Ltd. and $550 million acquisition of Scientia Vascular Inc., and is also a sign of the momentum in M&A activity in the medtech sector with other players making strategic acquisitions.
As generic versions of its blockbuster drug Ofev (nintedanib) start to hit the market, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH looks to have swerved the patent cliff, with European and Japanese regulators both approving a potential replacement, Jascayd (nerandomilast), this week. At its monthly meeting, the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use also recommended Novartis AG’s Vijoice (alpelisib) be given conditional approval in the treatment of PIK3CA-related overgrowth spectrum disorders.
Infex Therapeutics Ltd. has published positive phase IIa data for its lead program, RESP-X, in the treatment of exacerbations of chronic respiratory infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and is now laying the ground for phase IIb development, after raising £4.3 million (US$5.8 million) in new capital.
As interests and competition in the intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) market heats up, Shockwave Medical Inc. said it believes that its latest coronary IVL catheter, the C2 Aero, and other projects in the pipeline, will help it to maintain its leadership in calcium modification.