The FDA has lifted a clinical hold on Carsgen Therapeutics Holdings Ltd.’s. CAR T products after issuing the company a warning letter following a December 2023 FDA inspection that found the company violated good manufacturing practices at its Research Triangle Park facility in Durham, N.C.
Positive findings from a phase III trial of semaglutide in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is moving Novo Nordisk A/S to expand the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist’s indications in the U.S. and Europe, the Danish pharma said, as the MASH field sights more novel therapies.
The U.S. FDA’s Nov. 1 warning letter to Owens & Minor Inc. criticized the company for a lack of documentation that two components of convenience kits had been validated for sterilization with ethylene oxide.
Momentis Surgical Ltd. received 510 (k) clearance from the U.S. FDA for the second-generation of the Anovo robotic surgical platform. The upgraded system allows surgeons to experience enhanced ergonomics with integrated haptic feedback, creating more intuitive control of the robotic arms during surgical procedures.
Abstract ideas are not generally eligible for patents in the U.S., but a recent dispute heard by the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board adds a new twist to the question.
Boston Scientific Corp. resumed enrollment in the AVANT GUARD trial of the Farapulse pulse field ablation (PFA) system after a pause reported in October “to assess a few unanticipated observations.” The trial aims to expand the indications for the market-leading PFA system to include a new population, drug-naïve patients with persistent atrial fibrillation.
Rapt Therapeutics Inc. has decided to shut down its zelnecirnon (RPT-193) program in asthma and atopic dermatitis, causing the company’s stock (NASDAQ:RAPT) to sharply decline Nov. 11.
Abbvie Inc.’s much-hyped emraclidine, the centerpiece of its $8.7 billion buyout of Cerevel Therapeutics Inc., failed to hit its endpoints in two phase II trials in schizophrenia, sending company shares (NYSE:ABBV) down more than 12.6%, to close at 174.43, catching industry watchers by surprise and removing a potentially near-term competitor for Bristol Myers Squibb Co.’s recently approved antipsychotic, Cobenfy (xanomeline-trospium).
Autolus Therapuetics plc has been granted FDA approval for Aucatzyl (obecabtagene autoleucel) for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adults, becoming the first marketed CAR T therapy that does not have a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy attached to its label. The approval of Aucatzyl was based on results of the Felix clinical trial in relapsing/remitting ALL, which showed a strong safety profile compared to existing CAR T-cell therapies. The conduct of the trial was dogged by the COVID-19 pandemic, but of the 65 patients from an initial dosed cohort of 95 for whom efficacy was evaluated by the FDA, 63% achieved overall complete remission.
Zap Surgical Systems Inc. reported closing a $78 million series E funding round led by Qingdao Baheal Medical Inc., with participation from other strategic investors. The new funds will be used to commercialize the company’s Zap-X gyroscopic radiosurgery platform for the non-invasive treatment of brain tumors.