While Ebola virus disease in the U.S. is a rare occurrence, the FDA approval of Merck & Co. Inc.’s Ervebo, the agency’s first for preventing Ebola Zaire virus in people age 18 and older, will have a ripple effect across the world, especially Africa where its effects have been devastating for decades. Stockpiling such a vaccine is crucial to world safety as Ebola has long been a potential bioterrorism threat, especially after 9/11. In the world of theoretical biological warfare, where the virus could be weaponized and disseminated by aerosol, Ebola virus is considered the most dangerous, with fatality rates estimated between 25% to 90%. Read More
A medicine Stealth Biotherapeutics Inc. has been developing for the potential treatment of primary mitochondrial myopathy (PMM) missed the co-primary endpoints of a key phase III trial, sending company shares (NASDAQ:MITO) down 65.9% to close at $4.75 on Friday. Read More
LONDON – Despite a decade of effort to streamline discovery and development and increase productivity, the projected return on investment (ROI) in R&D at the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies has hit an all-time low, according to the 10th annual analysis by management consultancy Deloitte. Read More
BEIJING – China made strides in the CAR T space this month. The country approved two more candidates to enter clinical trials in December, and forerunner Nanjing Legend Biotech Co. Ltd. said its investigational CAR T therapy LCAR-B38M/JNJ-4528 co-developed with Janssen Biotech Inc. won FDA’s breakthrough therapy designation. Read More
Gainesville, Fla.-based startup Etectrx Inc. has secured an FDA clearance for its ingestible event marker system, the ID-Cap system. The startup is following in the footsteps of Redwood City, Calif.-based Proteus Digital Health Inc., which pioneered the category. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations. Read More
Regulatory decisions affecting biopharma products in development, including approvals, recommendations, rejections and the granting of regulatory pathways in November 2019. Read More
