As Novo Nordisk A/S and Eli Lilly and Co. go head-to-head in the U.S. and Chinese glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) market for diabetes and obesity, Novo Nordisk is in innovator gear once more with leading studies of GLP-1s in Alzheimer’s disease.
Despite heightened political tensions, both Chinese and U.S. industry officials are working to strengthen ties in the health care and biotech sector, including launching strategic initiatives to foster Sino-U.S. biotech investment and M&A deals. As one of the initiatives, representatives from Hong Kong, China and the U.S. convened at the Bio Hong Kong 2024 conference to launch a global health care M&A and financial investment alliance, along with fostering company and talent growth in Hong Kong.
With an eye on shutting down national security threats and securing American innovation, the U.S. House overwhelmingly passed the Biosecure Act Sept. 9 with a vote of 306-81. The next stop on the bill’s path to enactment is a Senate vote and, if it gets that, then on to the president’s desk.
Merit Medical Systems Inc. reported it is buying the lead management assets of Cook Medical Inc. for $210 million in cash. The Cook products consist of lead extraction devices and other lead management products.
The U.S. FDA cleared Senseonic Holdings Inc.’s Eversense 365, the first continuous glucose monitor to last a full year with a single sensor rather than the 10 days to two weeks typical for wearable sensors such as those offered by Abbott Laboratories and Dexcom Inc.
The U.S. FDA’s draft guidance for predetermined change control protocols (PCCPs) is out for comment, but a recent agency webinar highlighted some areas of ambiguity.
The U.S. FDA reported Sept. 17 that the Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc. CPT hip system is associated with an increased risk of thighbone fracture, a problem Zimmer acknowledged with a July 2, 2024, class II recall.
While it’s called the FDA Modernization Act (FDAMA) 3.0, the short bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate Sept. 15 is basically a message to the FDA: “The move away from animal testing in FDAMA 2.0 wasn’t a congressional suggestion. It’s a mandate, so get it done.”
Putting in writing what it’s been saying at advisory committee meetings, the U.S. FDA is issuing a draft guidance on multiregional clinical trials for cancer drugs that underscores the need for applicability to the U.S. population and medical practices.
Genentech’s newly approved multiple sclerosis (MS) injection takes about 10 minutes to administer, dramatically reducing the four to six hours required by its intravenous predecessor. The U.S. FDA approved the humanized monoclonal antibody Ocrevus Zunovo (ocrelizumab and hyaluronidase-ocsq) for relapsing MS and primary progressive MS on Sept. 13.