With Alhemo (concizumab-mtci) from Novo Nordisk A/S, a third hemophilia drug in the past eight months has been approved by the U.S. FDA. The once-daily injectable prophylaxis is to prevent or reduce the frequency of bleeding episodes in adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older with hemophilia A or B with inhibitors.
The U.S. FDA posted another early advisory, this time for the Mini PCNL devices by Trokamed GmbH. The agency noted that these devices should not be used for suction and irrigation of surgical sites, a use for which the device was not cleared in the first place.
The U.S. FDA’s authority was challenged on a number of occasions over the past few decades, but the rate is likely to pick up as the U.S. Supreme Court ruled recently that the agency cannot take judicial deference for granted any longer. Chad Landmon of the D.C. office of Polsinelli told BioWorld that future litigation against the FDA may extend even to sub-regulatory guidance thanks to the outcome in the case of Loper Bright – a scenario in which industry might carve out a few significant wins in the coming year.
Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s VGT-1849A, a selective antisense oligonucleotide (ASO)-based JAK2 inhibitor, has been awarded orphan drug designation by the FDA for the treatment of polycythemia vera.
The first acellular tissue engineered vessel for adults with vascular trauma in a bodily extremity has been approved by the U.S. FDA. Symvess, which comes from regenerative tissue developer Humacyte Inc., can be used to repair an arterial injury that could be life threatening and require immediate attention.
Shares in Zealand Pharma A/S (CO:ZEAL) dropped 22.4% to as low as DKK587 (US$82.16) on Dec. 20, after the U.S. FDA issued a complete response letter (CRL) for glepaglutide in the treatment of short bowel syndrome.
Merit Medical Systems Inc. received an early holiday gift this year, reporting that its Wrapsody cell-impermeable endoprosthesis has received premarket approval from the U.S. FDA and plans to begin commercialization of the device there in 2025.
A spate of year-end collaborations highlights growing enthusiasm for expanding use of automated insulin delivery devices or pumps in management of type 1 diabetes only to include many patients with type 2 diabetes. Beneficiaries include pump makers Tandem Diabetes Care Inc., Insulet Corp. and Medtronic plc as well as the leaders in the continuous glucose monitoring market, Abbott Laboratories and Dexcom Inc.
Arbor Biotechnologies Inc. has gained IND clearance from the FDA for ABO-101, a novel gene editing therapeutic designed to address primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1). A phase I/II study in adult and pediatric patients with PH1 is expected to begin in the first half of 2025.
The end of the year will be the end of an era at the FDA, as Bob Temple shuts his door at CDER for the last time Dec. 31. After more than half a century at the FDA’s drug center, Temple has become the backbone of CDER’s new drug program, providing expertise and stability as other personnel have come and gone.
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