Telehealth received a much-needed boost from the COVID-19 pandemic, but normal reality has settled in and a number of telehealth bills have surfaced in the U.S. House of Representatives. However, Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) advised other members of the House that a recent extension of temporary Medicare telehealth coverage added $2 billion to Medicare spending, a fact which he said forces legislators to ensure that “whatever we move out of committee is paid for.”
As Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) first-quarter revenue missed Wall Street estimates for medical devices on April 16, CEO Joaquin Duato noted that the company will continue to look for major M&A plays to boost long-term growth in the wake of its recently reported $13.1 billion buy of Shockwave Medical Inc.
Nxera Pharma Co. Ltd. announced that its partner, Neurocrine Biosciences Inc., is advancing NBI-1117568 to phase II trials for treatment of schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders.
The U.S. FDA granted fast track designation to Telix Pharmaceutical Ltd.’s TLX101-CDx for glioma imaging as the firm prepares to file its NDA in the first half of 2024, a Telix spokesperson told BioWorld.
Robust top-line phase III data showed Intra-Cellular Therapies Inc.’s marketed oral atypical antipsychotic drug, Caplyta (lumateperone), achieved statistically significant and clinically meaningful best-in-class results, potentially expanding its reach into the billion-dollar major depressive disorder market. The company’s shares (NASDAQ:ITCI) surged to a 52-week high of $84.89 throughout the day, closing at $79.84, up 23.3%, or $15.08, on April 16.
With the recent hack of Change Healthcare back in the news, a committee of the U.S. House of Representatives took up the subject of cybersecurity, which included only a couple of mentions of medical devices. However, witnesses at the hearing emphasized the role of the federal government in thwarting foreign cybersecurity threats against health care facilities, with John Riggi of the American Hospital Association stating, “we need the [federal] government to go after bad actors overseas.”
Vomaris Inc. introduced its U.S. FDA-cleared Powerheal bioelectric bandage for over-the-counter use following studies showing a shocking 99.99% reduction in bacteria present in wounds covered with the bandage even without the use of antibiotics. The bandage’s electrical energy also stimulates cell movement, cutting healing time in half, a study found.
To take clinical trial innovation to the next level, the U.S. FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) is opening the CDER Center for Clinical Trial Innovation. The center, known as C3TI, “will be a central hub within CDER to support the implementation of innovative approaches to clinical trial design and conduct,” said Kevin Bugin, CDER’s lead for C3TI and deputy director of operations in the Office of New Drugs.
Some gene therapies could be big winners under the changes the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing to Medicare’s new technology add-on program (NTAP) for its fiscal 2025 inpatient prospective payment system.
The $27.9 billion raised through biopharma follow-on offerings in the early months of 2024 has hit industry records never seen before. So far in three-and-a-half months in 2024, the industry has raised more than was raised during 21 of the past 24 full years.