A complete response letter (CRL) from the U.S. FDA for GC-4419 (avasopasem) is causing Galera Therapeutics Inc. to dramatically change course to survive, with the company laying off about 70% of its workforce. That layoff, which will reach across several company departments, is designed to extend the cash runway into the second quarter of 2024. The adjustment comes after Galera expanded its commercial leadership in May to prep for a potential launch of avasopasem before the end of 2023.
Accuray Inc. offered a classic good news-bad news set-up for investors on Wednesday, with a notable FDA 510(k) clearance balanced by a miss on fourth quarter revenue and projections for fiscal year 2024 significantly below consensus expectations. Still, the takeaway is generally positive, with several strong catalysts expected to build momentum for the company in the coming year and much of the underperformance attributable to foreign exchange headwinds that have plagued many med-tech companies.
The accelerated clearance won by Johnson & Johnson (J&J) from the U.S. FDA for Talvey (talquetamab-tgvs) for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (r/r MM) in adults brings to the market the bispecific antibody that takes aim at G protein-coupled receptor class C group 5 member D, a target of interest to other developers as well.
Georgiamune Inc. announced that the FDA cleared its IND application for GIM-122, a first-in-class dual-functioning monoclonal antibody designed to target a highly novel mechanism to overcome immunotherapy resistance.
The U.S. FDA’s final guidance for premarket submissions for device software functions serves as a much needed overwrite of a badly outdated policy but includes some significant changes over the legacy guidance. There are also a few changes between the 2021 draft and the 2023 final guidance, however, such as a call for more details about how software anomalies were discovered and what a root cause analysis would suggest about the origin of the anomaly.
Trinity Biotech plc. received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance for its lab-based hemoglobin diagnostic system, the Premier Resolution system, which the company hopes will allow it to regain its market leading position in hemoglobin variant detection. The Premier Resolution system is an automated analyzer which quantifies fetal hemoglobin and hemoglobin A2 and detects more than 200 hemoglobin variants. The device is a modern successor to the company’s Ultra system which once held a leading position in the U.S. hemoglobin variant diagnostic market.
In a balancing act between supply and drug quality, the U.S. FDA tipped the scales on behalf of quality, slapping an import alert on Intas Pharmaceuticals Ltd. in June, followed by a July 28 warning letter requiring the India-based company to develop and implement a global corrective action and preventive action plan.
Iveric Bio Inc. is now the second biotech to gain U.S. clearance for geographic atrophy – snagging U.S. FDA approval on Aug. 4 for Izervay (avacincaptad pegol intravitreal solution) to treat GA secondary to age-related macular degeneration. The once-monthly Izervay 2-mg injection is anticipated to be available in the U.S. in two to four weeks, said Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc., which recently acquired Iveric in May 2023.
Regenerative medicine company Mesoblast Ltd.’s stock sank nearly 57% on the news that it received a second U.S. FDA complete response letter (CRL) following the resubmission of its BLA for allogeneic stem cell treatment remestemcel-L in children with steroid-refractory acute graft-vs.-host disease. In the CRL, issued a few days after the Aug. 2 PDUFA date, the agency said it requires more data to support approval.
Iveric Bio Inc. is now the second biotech to gain U.S. clearance for geographic atrophy – snagging U.S. FDA approval on Aug. 4 for Izervay (avacincaptad pegol intravitreal solution) to treat GA secondary to age-related macular degeneration. The once-monthly Izervay 2-mg injection is anticipated to be available in the U.S. in two to four weeks, said Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc., which recently acquired Iveric in May 2023.