Globus Medical Inc. reported the departure of its president and CEO, but sought to quell any concerns about what his leaving augurs for the future of the company.
Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration proposed to adopt a 2021 EU guideline on quality documentation for drugs used with medical devices including co-packaged products, a demonstration of the impact of EU regulations on Australia’s own regulatory approach.
Palmetto GBA of Columbia, S.C., issued a draft local coverage determination that provides coverage for biomarker testing to stratify a patient’s risk associated with ductal carcinoma in situ.
Despite Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy’s oft-repeated vow to rid the FDA of industry influence, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary announced George Tidmarsh, an industry veteran, will be the next director of the agency’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER).
Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. is declining a U.S. FDA request to voluntarily halt shipping its gene therapy, Elevidys (delandistrogene moxeparvovec), in the U.S. On July 18, Sarepta said had it received “an informal request” from the FDA to stop the shipments following a third patient’s death, tied to the gene therapy SRP-9004, which uses the same vector as Elevidys.
Heartflow Inc. continued the steady rhythm of med-tech companies filing to go public, with an S-1 submitted to the U.S. SEC on July 17. The company joins 15 others that have completed IPOs in 2025 and one other in process – Carlsmed Inc., which a company spokesperson told BioWorld is expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq on July 22.
The U.S. False Claims Act (FCA) is not the only statute governing the submission of false claims to federal agencies thanks to the more than 30 states with their own versions of the FCA. However, the federal government is providing states with more incentives to amplify their FCA-related activities, a development that raises the stakes for companies in the life sciences.
After expanding development of DM-199 (rinvecalinase alfa) into preeclampsia last year, Diamedica Inc. rolled out early phase II results showing the recombinant form of human tissue kallikrein-1 reduced the mother’s blood pressure, did not cross the placental barrier, and potentially improves blood flow to the fetus.
Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. made known a third gene therapy death, this time with SRP-9004 for limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. The patient was a late-stage, non-ambulatory 51-year-old man participating in the phase I Discovery trial, who expired about a month ago of acute liver failure, as did the two previous subjects who passed away after they were treated with Elevidys (delandistrogene moxeparvovec), Cambridge, Mass.-based Sarepta’s gene product for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
In a 10-1 vote, the U.S. FDA’s Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee said Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s studies of its combination post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment did not show enough efficacy. Had the adcom felt otherwise, the path may have been smoother for a new treatment in an indication that hasn’t seen regulatory advancement in decades. The committee’s conclusion, however, is not binding on the FDA, which will make its own decision whether to approve.
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