For once, the EMA appears to have pipped the U.S. FDA to the post, with Pfizer Inc.’s hemophilia A and B therapy Hympavzi (marstacimab) recommended for approval in Europe on Sept. 20, while the U.S. PDUFA date is set for the fourth quarter of the year.
The U.S. SEC settled charges against Philip Markin, a fifth person charged in connection with an insider trading scheme involving the February 2021 $1.85 billion offer by Merck & Co. Inc. to acquire Pandion Therapeutics Inc.
Following the recent recommendation of its advisory committee, the U.S. FDA gave the nod to Zevra Therapeutics Inc.’s arimoclomol, a day ahead of its Sept. 21 PDUFA date, as the first treatment for Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC), a rare genetic disease linked to progressive neurological symptoms that is almost always fatal. Branded Miplyffa, it is indicated for use in combination with enzyme inhibitor miglustat in adults and children, ages 2 and older.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reined in a district court that invalidated three claims in an Astellas Pharma Inc. patent protecting bladder drug Myrbetriq (mirabegron) based on a issue that was never argued.
What comes down must go up seems to be the rule of thumb these days, even for U.S. FDA fees. The cost of using a priority review voucher (PRV) to shave four months off an FDA standard 10-month drug review has dropped drastically over the past several years. But come Oct. 1, biopharma companies will have to pay nearly 89% more than on the previous day to use a PRV.
Clearly frustrated by the U.S. FDA’s rejection of tradipitant to treat gastroparesis, Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. CEO Mihael Polymeropoulos said the agency is discouraging drug development for the serious gastric emptying condition for which there has been no new treatment in 40 years. The complete response letter (CRL) issued on the Sept. 18 PDUFA date for the neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist, which Vanda licensed from Eli Lilly and Co. in 2012, requested additional studies that the company said are not in line with the advice of experts in the field.
Investors reading into the U.S. FDA’s decision to skip an advisory committee meeting to discuss the NDA for Applied Therapeutics Inc.’s govorestat, seeking approval as the first therapy for treating classic galactosemia, clearly saw reasons for optimism, as shares of Applied (NASDAQ:APLT) jumped 69% to close Sept. 18 at $7.85.
Two tales of one law were told Sept. 17 as the U.S. Senate Finance Committee discussed the successes and failures of the health care provisions included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) as members looked toward different sequels.
Australia’s Health Department has released the final report of the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Review that makes 50 recommendations for improving access to new health technologies while tackling inequity, simplifying HTA processes and making it easier for consumers and clinicians to participate.
While it’s called the FDA Modernization Act (FDAMA) 3.0, the short bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate Sept. 15 is basically a message to the FDA: “The move away from animal testing in FDAMA 2.0 wasn’t a congressional suggestion. It’s a mandate, so get it done.”
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