Obi Pharma Inc. has received FDA clearance for its IND application to conduct a phase I/II study of OBI-992, a novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) cancer therapy targeting TROP2. The trial will open shortly and aims to enroll patients with advanced solid tumors, including non-small-cell lung cancer, small-cell lung cancer and gastric cancer, although several other cancers are also potential targets.
At first glance, the U.S. FDA’s draft guidance for evidentiary expectations for 510(k) implants seems to demand more rigor on these applications, but some in industry believe that several of these elevated requirements offer little or no commensurate benefit. Geeta Pamidimukkala of the Advanced Medical Technology Association (Advamed) said the draft would seem to require that manufacturers preemptively explain the exclusion of animal testing, a requirement she said creates more work for both industry and FDA without offering a meaningful benefit.
The U.S. FDA has commenced with a pilot program for companion diagnostics (CDx) for oncology therapies, which fulfills in part a 2014 agency guidance on the use of CDx. The FDA expects to enroll only nine reference drugs and the associated companion test, but the pilot program is part of the FDA’s controversial attempt to deal with lab-developed tests (LDTs), specifically those tests that are used to determine whether a patient is likely to respond to a particular oncology treatment.
Jiangsu Atom Bioscience and Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has received FDA clearance of its IND application for a phase I trial in the U.S. of ABP-745, an anti-inflammatory oral small-molecule drug, for the treatment of acute gout.
In his latest effort to boost the U.S. manufacturing base, President Joe Biden is invoking the Defense Production Act (DPA) to expand the domestic production capabilities for essential medicines, medical countermeasures (MCMs) and their critical inputs.
Jiangxi Jemincare Group Co. Ltd. has reported that its wholly owned subsidiary company, Shanghai Jemincare Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., recently received approvals for clinical trials of five of its drugs in the fields of cancer, kidney and infectious diseases.
The U.S. FDA issued a complete response letter for Zealand Pharma A/S’s NDA seeking approval of dasiglucagon for the prevention of treatment of hypoglycemia in pediatric patients with congenital hyperinsulinism, citing deficiencies identified during an inspection at a third-party contract manufacturing facility.
Drug guidances are still pouring forth from the U.S. FDA as 2023 winds to an end. The latest batch deals with issues as varied as the reformulation of drug products that use carbomers manufactured with benzene, potency assurance for cellular and gene therapies, the quality of topical eye treatments, and the development of drugs and biologics for rare diseases.