The regulatory path for Saniona AB’s Tesomet for treating two rare eating disorders, Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and hypothalamic obesity, continues to be a winding one with surprises along the way. The newest twist is pre-IND feedback from the FDA that knocked the stock down 10.5% on Oct. 9.
Opioid-related hazards with Alkermes plc’s combo drug ALKS-3831 – specifically, with the samidorphan element – and the significance of weight-gain reduction brought about by the tablet, which also includes olanzapine, became key topics in the joint meeting of the FDA’s Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee.
There are some U.S. FDA work items that have been hampered primarily by the COVID-19 pandemic, and some that have just proven difficult to push across the finish line. The FDA’s October 2018 draft guidance for premarket considerations for cybersecurity in medical devices might fall into that latter category, but the FDA’s Suzanne Schwartz said the agency will reissue another draft version of that guidance, which will be available sometime in early 2021.
The U.S. FDA will no longer review lab-developed tests (LDTs) for the SARS-CoV-2 virus under the emergency use authorization (EUA) program, a change that will eliminate any prospect of immunity from liability for these tests. The FDA’s Tim Stenzel, director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radiological Health, announced the news on the weekly COVID-19 testing town hall, but the change was simultaneously unveiled in the FDA’s Q&A for testing.
Biosense Webster Inc. reported U.S. FDA approval of its Thermocool Smarttouch SF ablation catheter for the treatment of patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (persistent AF). This follows results of the prospective, multicenter Precept study, which showed the catheter to be safe and effective for 80% of patients over 15 months of ablation therapy with clinically meaningful improvement in quality of life.
U.S. FDA commissioners must rely on legal counsel for advice on a number of matters, but attorneys who sign on for work at the agency bring with them different views on the limitations of the agency’s powers. This consideration came up during a panel discussion hosted by the Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI).
With an ongoing phase II trial showing that a pair of its SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies has so far reduced viral load, symptoms and COVID-19-related hospitalization and ER visits, Eli Lilly and Co. has asked the FDA to consider an emergency use authorization (EUA) for one of the components, LY-CoV555.
With COVID-19 cases once again surging across the globe and several countries considering targeted lockdowns, vaccines remain the best hope of restoring a sense of normalcy amidst the pandemic. For vaccines to work though, people must have enough confidence in the efficacy and safety that they’re willing to get vaccinated when the vaccines become available. That’s why the emergency use authorization (EUA) guidance the FDA released Oct. 6 for COVID-19 vaccines is so important.
As expected, weight mitigation and opioid-related risks turned up as the main concerns in briefing documents for the joint advisory panel meeting Oct. 9 to mull the approvability of Alkermes plc’s ALKS-3831.
PERTH, Australia – Regenerative medicine company Mesoblast Ltd. saw its stock drop 37% on the news that it received an FDA complete response letter to its BLA for Ryoncil (remestemcel-L) for the treatment of pediatric steroid-refractory acute graft-vs.-host disease.