The debate in the U.S. over the process by which the Medicare program covers new medical technologies has intensified over the past three years and the debate has now spilled onto the pages of the Journal of the American Medical Association. An article in JAMA asserts that only 44% of a group of 64 novel devices had achieved meaningful coverage and reimbursement milestones within a median of 5.7 years after FDA market authorization, adding yet more pressure on the legislative and executive branches to act to deal with what device makers characterize as the med-tech valley of death.
Even as biopharma challenges to the constitutionality of the “excise tax” included in the Inflation Reduction Act await action in the U.S. federal court system, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said they intend to issue proposed regulations to implement the tax.
Despite the U.S. FDA’s approval of Sage Therapeutics Inc.’s priority NDA for postpartum depression, the accompanying complete response letter (CRL) for major depressive disorder has undercut the company’s plans. Withholding the approval for MDD slices away a huge amount of the potential market for Sage and its collaborator, Biogen Inc.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Astrazeneca, Basilea, Mesoblast, Sanofi.
Regulatory snapshots, including global submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Trinity Biotech, Venus Medtech.
Biocity Biopharma announced that the U.S. FDA has accepted its investigational new drug (IND) application for BC-3448, a bispecific antibody that targets the T cell marker CD3 and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), bringing antitumor T cells in proximity to EGFR-expressing cells. To reduce the risk of cytokine release syndrome (CRS), a known risk of CD3-targeting antibodies, the bispecific has a higher affinity for EGFR than CD3.
When it comes to recommending reforms for the U.S.’ 30-year-old 340B Drug Discount Program, there’s one thing drug manufacturers and hospitals agree on – pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) and other middlemen should not be profiting from a program that’s intended to help uninsured and vulnerable patients gain access to affordable prescription drugs or other health care services.
Regenerative medicine company Mesoblast Ltd.’s stock sank nearly 57% on the news that it received a second U.S. FDA complete response letter (CRL) following the resubmission of its BLA for allogeneic stem cell treatment remestemcel-L in children with steroid-refractory acute graft-vs.-host disease. In the CRL, issued a few days after the Aug. 2 PDUFA date, the agency said it requires more data to support approval.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: 180, Aardvark, ABM, Orchard, Taiho.
The U.S. FDA recognized several new standards for sterilization of medical devices as part of an effort to reduce the use of ethylene oxide (EtO) for this purpose. While the recognition may stimulate adoption of alternative methods, Congress is applying yet more pressure on the EPA to act more decisively in regulating EtO, thus amplifying pressure on a system that device makers believe is already under stress.
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