The U.S. FDA has approved Duvyzat (givinostat), from Italfarmaco SpA, for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). It is the first oral, nonsteroidal drug for treating all of DMD’s genetic variants. The oral treatment is approved for those ages 6 and older.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. has obtained IND clearance from the FDA for VX-407, an investigational first-in-class small-molecule corrector that targets the underlying cause of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) in patients with a subset of PKD1 genetic variants.
Triarm Therapeutics Ltd. is on a mission to democratize CAR T therapies to make them more accessible and affordable, Triarm CEO Jay Zhang told BioWorld. “Nearly half of the patients eligible for CAR T therapies still cannot get treated, and the main reason is the expense, and the second is they cannot afford to wait.
The U.S. FDA’s pending final rule for regulation of lab-developed tests has proven unusually controversial even for the FDA, but Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) stated in a March 21 hearing that congressional inaction has left the agency in an uncomfortable spot.
As part of its required series of guidances on using real-world evidence, the U.S. FDA released a draft guidance in response to sponsors’ growing interest in the potential use of observational studies to contribute to a demonstration of the effectiveness or safety of a drug or biologic.
Two days after the U.S. FDA announced approval of gene therapy Lenmeldy (atidarsagene autotemcel), making it the first treatment option for rare disease metachromatic leukodystrophy, Orchard Therapeutics and parent firm Kyowa Kirin Co. Ltd. disclosed the wholesale acquisition price of $4.25 million for the one-time treatment, which edges out hemophilia B gene therapy Hemgenix (etranacogene dezaparvovec) to become the world’s most expensive drug.
Vicore Pharma Holding AB was granted a U.S. FDA breakthrough device designation for Almee, a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) software, to be used as an adjunct treatment by patients with anxiety symptoms due to pulmonary fibrosis. Vicore developed the nine-week CBT digital therapy in partnership with Alex Therapeutics AB.
The U.S. FDA has followed up on reports of problematic syringes made by several companies in mainland China, recommending that U.S. suppliers, consumers and health care organizations stop using these products unless no alternatives are available. The agency said it has issued warning letters to three of these companies, at least one of which appears to have been the supplier of Monoject syringes that have been the subjects of recent FDA recalls.
About six months after Johnson & Johnson (J&J) returned rights to the compound, oral Tryvio (aprocitentan) won FDA clearance for Idorsia Ltd. Given once daily at a 12.5 mg dose, Tryvio is indicated for hypertension in combination with other blood pressure drugs in patients whose condition is not adequately controlled.