With the U.S. FDA’s approval of Enflonsia (clesrovimab) to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection lower respiratory tract disease in newborns and infants, Merck & Co. Inc. steps into a space of competition and regulatory shifts. The preventive, long-acting monoclonal antibody (MAb)
will take its place in the market alongside the blockbuster Beyfortus (nirsevimab) from Sanofi SA and Astrazeneca plc. The MAb for pediatric use brought in about $1.77 billion in 2024.
Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration initiated court proceedings against Philips Electronics Australia Ltd. over sound abatement foam used in CPAP machines marketed under the Respironics brand.
The European Commission is seeking feedback from stakeholders on the oversight of high-risk AI products, one objective of which is to develop a series of guidelines for classification of high-risk AI systems – a consideration of great interest to med-tech firms doing business in the EU.
Absent extraordinary circumstances, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board “should never cancel claims it has not determined to be unpatentable as a sanction” for misconduct during a board proceeding, according to the acting director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
The U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued its first official guidance on how to develop bacteriophages as licensed medicinal products. This covers personalized phage therapies designed for specific patients – at present the only form in which they are available – but also is relevant to the development of off-the-shelf products for treating common infections.
Corestemchemon Inc. is planning to file a BLA for Neuronata-R (lenzumestrocel) by the end of 2025 to gain accelerated approval from the U.S. FDA, company officials confirmed to BioWorld during a June 2 interview. Neuronata-R is an autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell therapy that first gained approval in South Korea in 2014 to delay the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
The EMA’s safety committee has issued a warning that the GLP-1 receptor agonist Ozempic (semaglutide, Novo Nordisk A/S) can cause an acute eye condition in which the optic nerve is damaged by a sudden loss of blood supply. After reviewing several large epidemiological studies, clinical trial and in-market data, EMA’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee has concluded non-anterior ischemic optic neuropathy is a “very rare” side effect of Ozempic, that “may affect up to one in 10,000 people taking semaglutide.
The EMA’s Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) has issued a positive opinion recommending European orphan drug designation for Hemispherian AS’s GLIX-1 for the treatment of glioma.
The U.S. FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health is recovering from a guidance drought that spanned several months in the first part of calendar year 2025, starting with a guidance on the Q-sub process.