Emergent Biosolutions Inc.’s Bayview facility in Baltimore passed its manufacturing inspection with international regulators, clearing the way for shipment of batches of Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine containing drug substance made at the plant.
Another drug from the emerging menin inhibitor drug class has hit safety issues, after the FDA put an early stage acute myeloid leukemia trial of Kura Oncology Inc.’s KO-539 on partial clinical hold because of a patient death. The news from Kura follows safety issues that emerged from Syndax Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s rival SNDX-5613, where an issue with QT prolongation emerged in at least 5% of patients in otherwise encouraging phase I/II trial results announced in April.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Aadi, AB, Amryt, BMS, Gilead, Janssen, Neonmind, RDIF, Revive, Seqirus, Sterna, Tonix.
Following an FDA priority review, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.'s oral antiviral, maribavir, has won U.S. approval as the first drug in the country to treat resistant cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and disease in adult and pediatric transplant recipients. The drug will be marketed as Livtencity.
The FDA has continued a series of device risk classifications with the formal announcement that general containment systems used with power morcellators will henceforth be deemed class II, moderate-risk devices.
Former FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn is being asked to spill the beans on political interference at the U.S. agency during the emergence of COVID-19 last year.
The Pan American Health Organization is echoing fears that the COVID-19 pandemic will result in a surge of drug-resistant infections, saying surges already are being seen in several countries in the Americas, including Argentina, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay and Uruguay.
U.S. trading partners are raising concerns about the FDA’s continued delays in inspecting foreign drug manufacturing facilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related travel restrictions.
A Chinese patent covering methods and compositions for the use of CRISPR-Cas9 in eukaryotes has been granted to Dublin-based Ers Genomics Ltd., making what Michael Arciero, vice president of intellectual property and commercial development at the company, called “a strong but not surprising statement by China,” which has made the biotechnology industry one of its top national priorities.