Becton, Dickinson and Co. reached an agreement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to resolve an investigation related to allegations that the company misled investors regarding the Alaris infusion system, which BD added to its portfolio with the $12.2 billion acquisition of Carefusion in 2015. BD will pay a $175 million civil penalty and agreed to a cease and desist order for the device.
Labcorp Holdings Inc. launched its new H5N1 bird flu molecular test for humans in the U.S. as an international outbreak of the disease continues to spread in cows and poultry – and people. As BioWorld reported recently, just one mutation would make the flu variant highly transmissible in humans.
Puretech Health plc has announced phase IIb data showing its reformulation of pirfenidone has improved the tolerability and increased the efficacy of the marketed antifibrotic in the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The tweak on the original molecule involved substituting three hydrogen atoms with three of the heavier counterpart, deuterium, improving stability, whilst retaining the antifibrotic effect.
A year after manufacturing issues resulted in a complete response letter for cosibelimab, the U.S. FDA approved Checkpoint Therapeutics Inc.’s drug, branded Unloxcyt, as the first anti-PD-L1 antibody for use in metastatic or locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma patients who are not candidates for curative surgery or curative radiation.
While Spruce Biosciences Inc.’s tildacerfont missed its phase II primary endpoint in classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) last March, the U.S. FDA approved Crenessity (crinecerfont) from Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. for treating pediatric and adult CAH patients. The nod could lead the drug to become a blockbuster, analysts said.
Newron Pharmaceuticals SpA scored €44 million (US$46.26 million) up front in a potential €117 million licensing deal with EA Pharma Co. Ltd. to pad the clinical runway of its late-stage oral schizophrenia asset, evenamide (NW-3509), sending company stock prices up near 20%.
Heartbeam Inc. received U.S. FDA 510(K) clearance for its portable, non-invasive electrocardiogram system that enables on-the-go recording of heart signals. The cable-free, credit card-sized device uses five electrodes to capture signals from three directions and can be used whenever a patient feels symptoms, overcoming the challenge of identifying intermittent arrhythmias, which are often not experienced during scheduled appointments, without requiring patients to wear a device continuously.
GC Biopharma Corp. will buy plasma collector Abo Holdings Inc. in a ₩138 billion (US$96.28 million) cash acquisition as the vaccine and plasma-derived medicinal products developer works to accelerate entry of Alyglo (IVIG-SN 10%) in the U.S., where it was approved last year.
The U.S. FDA’s emphasis on alternatives to ethylene oxide is gaining momentum with the help of internationally recognized standards — such as ISO 11737 — in a move that will enable a less cumbersome approach to non-EtO device sterilization.
The first patenting to emerge from Filtro Medical Inc. describes the development of blood filtration devices designed to reduce systemic exposure to chemotherapy or other therapeutic agents that have been delivered into a target treatment location.