Illumina Inc. wasted no time in returning to the M&A front, closing the acquisition of Fluent Biosciences Inc. on July 9 with cash on hand, just a fortnight after freeing itself of Grail Inc. Fluent’s single-cell analysis technology expands Illumina’s presence in the life sciences, possibly marking a turn away from the diagnostics focus that led to the Grail debacle. The acquisition price was not disclosed.
The draft version of the U.S. Medicare hospital outpatient rule for 2025 carries more than a dozen applications for a new technology pass-through payment next year, but Boston Scientific Corp.’s Agent balloon for treatment of in-stent restenosis might not be eligible for NTPT payment because of a debate over whether the device can be assigned to an existing Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System code.
Setpoint Medical Corp. reported positive topline results from its landmark RESET-RA study. The study evaluated the Setpoint system as a potential new neuroimmune modulation treatment for adults living with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis who are incomplete responders or are intolerant to biologic or targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs.
In an action two years in the making, Dublin-based Medtronic plc withdrew a series of endotracheal tubes because of complaints of lost functionality that carries the risk of respiratory and/or cardiac arrest.
Phase I/II data of IDCT (rebonuputemcel), a cell therapy in development for chronic and progressive lumbar degenerative disc disease and one that has both regenerative medicine advanced therapy and fast track designations in the U.S., has been published in the International Journal of Spine Surgery for showing statistically significant improvements in pain, disability and quality of life.
Just because a statement turns out to be false doesn’t mean it was intended to be, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit said in tossing a stockholder class action against Frequency Therapeutics Inc., now part of Korro Bio Inc.
The redacted interim report released July 9 of an ongoing FTC investigation into pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) shed little, if any, new insight into PBM practices and how they impact availability and pricing of prescription drugs in the U.S.
Uniqure NV shares (NASDAQ:QURE) closed July 9 at $6.67, up $2.89, or 76%, after the firm made public updated interim data including up to 24 months of follow-up findings from 29 treated patients enrolled in the ongoing U.S. and European phase I/II trials of AMT-130 for Huntington’s disease (HD).
Soligenix Inc. investors were extremely enthusiastic about the positive interim update for the company’s cancer therapy and light device, Hybryte, for treating for treating early stage cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. The Princeton, N.J.-based company’s stock (NASDAQ:SNGX) soared a whopping 464% before closing at a more modest but still massive of 271% increase to $7.42 each on July 9.
Confidence in working with Chinese biopharma companies has dropped by 30% to 50% for U.S.-based life sciences companies, with Chinese contract development and manufacturing organizations the hardest hit, according to a recent LEK survey of global life sciences companies on the impact of the pending U.S. Biosecure Act.