The EMA's Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) has adopted a positive opinion on Sensorion SA's application seeking orphan drug designation for OTOF-GT, a gene therapy intended for the treatment of otoferlin gene-mediated hearing loss.
The FDA has granted orphan drug designation to Iecure Inc.'s lead product candidate GTP-506, an investigational product for the treatment of ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency.
Although Pfizer Inc. has the only drugs approved in the U.S. to treat a rare, progressive heart disease, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit agreed this week with the Department of Health and Human Services, and a lower court, that Pfizer’s proposed copay assistance program for middle-income Americans covered by Medicare would violate the federal Anti-Kickback Statute – even if the company has no “corrupt” intent.
The U.S. FDA has granted Alpheus Medical Inc. orphan drug and fast track designations for a therapeutic platform that could improve outcomes for patients suffering from recurrent glioblastoma (GBM), the most common primary brain cancer and among the hardest to treat.
Following an investigation into Leadiant Group’s pricing of a rare disease drug, the Italian Competition Authority fined the privately held company about €3.5 million (US$3.76 million) May 31 for charging the Italian National Health Service excessive prices since 2017 for Chenodeoxycholic Acid Leadiant.
Longeveron Inc.’s share price (NASDAQ:LGVN) jumped 11.7% on Dec. 3 after the FDA awarded orphan designation to Lomecel-B, allogeneic bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells, for treating hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The designation came two weeks after the FDA granted rare pediatric disease designation for Lomecel-B to treat the life-threatening congenital heart defect in infants.
The FDA has one question for its Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee when it meets Nov. 4: Has Levo Therapeutics Inc. provided substantial evidence that the company’s carbetocin nasal spray is effective in treating hyperphagia associated with Prader-Willi syndrome?
In divvying up U.S. spending on orphan vs. nonorphan indications for drugs approved for both, a new study could fuel future debates and inform policy on orphan drug incentives. The study, led by a team of University of Michigan and Boston University researchers, found that 21% of the total dollars spent in 2018 in the U.S. on the 15 top-selling partial orphan drugs went to the treatment of rare diseases, while more than 70% went to the treatment of common diseases.
Veralox Therapeutics Inc., a Maryland-based startup developing a small molecule for halting aberrant platelet activation and thrombosis, said the FDA has granted the candidate, VLX-1005, orphan drug status for the treatment of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT).
The FDA’s bright line between orphan designation and exclusivity was erased, again, Monday for some drugs when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied the agency an en banc rehearing of Eagle Pharmaceuticals Inc. v. Alex Azar.
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