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.
Roivant Sciences Ltd. has sold another company, this time offering up Dermavant Sciences Ltd. to Organon & Co. for $1.2 billion. The deal brings Organon into a crowded market for plaque psoriasis treatments. The massive amount comprises an up-front $175 million payment, along with a potential $75 million regulatory milestone and up to $950 million in commercial milestones. In the deal, Organon brings in Vtama (tapinarof) cream, a topical, aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist for mild, moderate and severe plaque psoriasis in adults.
Capricor Therapeutics Inc. has expanded its commercialization and distribution deal with Nippon Shinyaku Co. Ltd. to include the EU and the U.K. for deramiocel, Capricor’s lead asset, in treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). In the new agreement, Capricor will receive an up-front payment of $20 million. Capricor will handle development and manufacturing duties for deramiocel while Nippon Shinyaku will be responsible for the sales and distribution.
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.”
Putting in writing what it’s been saying at advisory committee meetings, the U.S. FDA is issuing a draft guidance on multiregional clinical trials for cancer drugs that underscores the need for applicability to the U.S. population and medical practices.
Genentech’s newly approved multiple sclerosis (MS) injection takes about 10 minutes to administer, dramatically reducing the four to six hours required by its intravenous predecessor. The U.S. FDA approved the humanized monoclonal antibody Ocrevus Zunovo (ocrelizumab and hyaluronidase-ocsq) for relapsing MS and primary progressive MS on Sept. 13.
Eli Lilly and Co.’s Ebglyss (lebrikizumab) becomes the latest U.S. entrant in the increasingly competitive atopic dermatitis space, following FDA approval of the IL-13-targeting antibody, which will now go up against other biologics such as established blockbuster Dupixent (dupilumab, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.), as well as more recently approved Adbry (tralokinumab, Leo Pharma Inc.).
Intercept Pharmaceuticals Inc. lost its uphill battle to convince the U.S. FDA’s Gastrointestinal Drugs Advisory Committee that the risks of its second-line primary biliary cholangitis drug outweigh the benefits. The committee overwhelmingly said the data in the follow-up studies of treating the rare disease with Ocaliva (obeticholic acid), which has accelerated approval from the FDA, was insufficient.
Chinese pharmaceutical and biotech companies are leading development of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists as Novo Nordisk A/S and Eli Lilly and Co. edge closer to launching blockbuster therapies in China. At the heart of the GLP-1 boom is a nationwide obesity problem driven by a confluence of factors, including the rise of a modern, sedentary lifestyle, according to Clarivate. Despite the rising prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes, the gap in obesity therapeutics is “substantial and leaves a solid market opportunity for weight loss drugs,” Karan Verma, principal analyst of healthcare research & data analytics at Clarivate, said.
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