It’s been a tough year for raising biotech money, according to the new U.K. Biotech Financing Report, but there are bright spots in an otherwise dark period. What happened last year in the U.K. basically mirrored what happened with global financings as IPOs are significantly down while venture capital rounds stood strong.
Where European regulatory decisions were concerned, there was good news and bad news for pharma today as Sanofi SA and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. got the go-ahead for expanded approval of Dupixent (dupilumab) in pediatric atopic dermatitis patients whilst Ipsen SA’s ultra-rare bone disease drug palovarotene was left off the shelf as efficacy data failed to impress.
Amber Therapeutics Ltd. reported that three patients have been fitted with its closed loop bioelectrical stimulation device, which it says is the first to modulate the pudendal nerve to directly address urinary continence (UI).
A French surgical team has performed a robot-assisted kidney auto-transplantation with ex situ tumorectomies for renal cell cancer. This is the world first use of the fourth generation Da Vinci Xi surgical robot from Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Intuitive Surgical Inc. to perform kidney explanation and autotransplantation with removal of multiple and complex tumors outside of a patient's body.
A U.K. real world nationwide study of the clinical effectiveness of hybrid close loop (HCL) insulin administration systems has found they improve glycemic control in type 1 diabetes compared to the earlier generation of devices.
Thirona BV spun out its retina division into a stand-alone business, Thirona Retina BV, focused exclusively on the eye disease market, effective Jan. 1, 2023. The development comes after the recent expansion of Retcad, Thirona’s flagship solution for eye disease screening. Thirona BV will continue to develop artificial intelligence (AI)-driven systems for precision medicine in lung disease.
Bringing notified bodies (NBs) into a med-tech regulatory system has proven to be no mean feat in the European Union, but the U.K. Medicines and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) seems not to suffer from such impediments. The agency just added several in vitro diagnostic (IVD) technological areas to the roster of tests that can be reviewed by UL International UK, an addition that will help ensure patients can obtain the tests they need.
In the absence of a European framework, industry is stepping up with an initiative to help EU patients cross borders to participate in clinical trials.
Companion Spine SAS has acquired Backbone SAS, a company that develops implantable functional motion restoration devices for treating spinal disorders. The inclusion of Backbone's flagship medical device, Lisa – a lumbar implant for stiffness augmentation – completes the Companion Spine portfolio.
The European Commission is spending €242 million (US$261 million) to create the first rescEU strategic reserve of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) medical countermeasures.
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