Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has signed an option agreement to in-license Ascentage Pharma Group Inc.’s olverembatinib, an oral third-generation BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). If exercised, the option would allow Takeda to license exclusive global rights to develop and commercialize olverembatinib in all territories outside of mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Russia.
As competition rises in the Keytruda (pembrolizumab) biosimilar space, Celltrion Inc. is the latest to announce that it filed an IND application to the U.S. FDA to start a global phase III trial for its own Keytruda biosimilar, dubbed CT-P51. Incheon, South Korea-based Celltrion, which previously said it would differentiate from the pack by developing an easier-to-administer subcutaneous biosimilar of pembrolizumab, announced June 17 plans to start a global comparative phase III study of CT-P51 and Keytruda.
The Biosecure Act missed its first chance at a congressional ride June 11 when the U.S. House Rules Committee didn’t include it, as many had expected, on the list of potential riders the House will consider for its version of the National Defense Authorization Act, a must-pass defense spending bill for fiscal 2025. But that doesn’t mean the bill will be stranded by the wayside.
The U.S. FDA cleared Basel, Switzerland-based Roche Holding AG’s whole-slide imaging system, the Roche Digital Pathology Dx, for use as an aid in clinical diagnosis. The system helps pathologists review and interpret digital images of scanned pathology slides.
Becoming the first pneumococcal conjugate vaccine specifically designed for adults 18 and older, Merck & Co. Inc.’s 21-valent candidate, Capvaxive (V-116), gained U.S. FDA approval on its June 17 PDUFA date. The Rahway, N.J.-based company expects to take significant market share based on positive phase III findings from the Stride-3 trial. Analysts have estimated the product could reach $2 billion in annual global sales.
As competition rises in the Keytruda (pembrolizumab) biosimilar space, Celltrion Inc. is the latest to announce that it filed an IND application to the U.S. FDA to start a global phase III trial for its own Keytruda biosimilar, dubbed CT-P51. Incheon, South Korea-based Celltrion, which previously said it would differentiate from the pack by developing an easier-to-administer subcutaneous biosimilar of pembrolizumab, announced June 17 plans to start a global comparative phase III study of CT-P51 and Keytruda.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has signed an option agreement to in-license Ascentage Pharma Group Inc.’s olverembatinib, an oral third-generation BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). If exercised, the option would allow Takeda to license exclusive global rights to develop and commercialize olverembatinib in all territories outside of mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Russia.
With all the criticism the U.S. NIH has been getting of late, it’s not surprising that yet another reform proposal for the research agency is brewing in Congress. In unveiling a proposed framework to reform the NIH, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) recognized the critical role the agency plays in life-saving medical research and innovation.
Siemens Healthineers AG has received CE mark for a neurofilament light chain assay to help with the early diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and aid in predicting the risk of relapse in patients suffering from the disease. The test developed in collaboration with Novartis Pharma AG will be launched in Europe later this year.
Elutia Inc. received U.S. FDA clearance for its antibiotic-eluting bioenvelope. Designed to prevent post-operative complications from the implantation of cardiac devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators, Elupro (formerly Cangaroo RM) combines slow release of the antibiotics rifampin and minocycline with a biomatrix that stimulates regeneration of a tissue pocket to surround and protect the device.