More than six years after Novartis AG’s Zolgensma was approved for children under 2 with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) with biallelic mutations in the survival motor neuron 1 gene, the U.S. FDA cleared a new version, under the brand name Itvisma (onasemnogene abeparvovec), for those 2 and older, including teens and adults with the same mutation.
Gemma Biotherapeutics Inc.’s GB-221, a novel gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy type 1 (SMA1), has received clinical trial clearance from ANVISA, Brazil’s health regulatory agency.
Peptidream Inc. has submitted IND applications to the FDA to initiate phase I studies of [225Ac]PD-32766, as a potential radiotherapeutic, and [64Cu]PD-32766, as the radiodiagnostic pair, for patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).
Novo Nordisk A/S’ wild card bet that its GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide could be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease has not paid off, with the company reporting two phase III trials have shown no effect on slowing disease progression.
Abbott Laboratories announced a recall of Freestyle Libre 3 and Libre 3 Plus sensors used in continuous glucose monitors after receiving reports of more than 700 injuries and seven fatalities that may be associated with the sensor malfunction. The company did not describe the nature of the malfunction let alone a root cause, but said the affected product comes from only one of three production lines, and thus it expects no shortages associated with the recall.
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the 1657-page final rule for inpatient payment for calendar year 2026, a document chock full of important policy decisions including a renewed call for elimination of the inpatient-only list.
Changes to a U.S. CDC website regarding autism and vaccines has sparked a backlash from numerous scientific and other groups, placing HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK) in the spotlight once again for appearing to break promises made earlier this year to secure his nomination.
CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Ltd. has obtained approval from China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) to initiate clinical trials with the company’s selective 5-HT2A receptor agonist, SYH-2056 tablets, for the treatment of depression.
Recent progress in redressing the historical underfunding and neglect of women’s health could be undermined by the backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, according to executives participating in the FT Global Pharma and Biotech Summit 2025 in London Nov. 11-12.
The U.S. FDA cleared 20 drugs in October 2025, up from 17 in September, 18 in August and 17 in July, bringing the year’s total to 181 approvals through the first 10 months. Two new molecular entities (NMEs) gained U.S. approval in October: Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH’s Jascayd and Bayer AG’s Lynkuet.
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