Even as the court challenges continue, the first round of U.S. government price negotiations for selected Medicare Part D drugs officially began Oct. 1 with manufacturers of those drugs having to sign agreements to participate in the process. While the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services had yet to disclose, as of press time, how many manufacturers signed the negotiation agreements, all the companies with selected drugs reportedly had indicated they would sign by the deadline even as they pursue litigation.
Three years after Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. gained U.S. FDA approval of the first treatment for rare disease primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1), Novo Nordisk A/S solidified its own marketing clearance for RNAi therapy Rivfloza (nedosiran).
With Tofidence (tocilizumab-bavi), a monoclonal antibody from Biogen Inc., the U.S. FDA has approved the first biosimilar to the Roche Group AG’s Actemra (tocilizumab), a blockbuster with declining numbers. Tofidence was greenlighted Sept. 29 for treating rheumatoid arthritis in adults, and for treating polyarticular and systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis in those ages 2 and older. It’s also the first biosimilar approved to treat systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
The U.S. FDA has finally let fly with a draft rule for regulation of lab-developed tests (LDTs), an 83-page document that delves into the legal controversies regarding whether the agency has the requisite statutory authority. However, Allyson Mullen, a director in the D.C. office of Hyman, Phelps & McNamara P.C., told BioWorld that the emergence of this draft rule doesn’t mean Congress won’t eventually be dragged back into the LDT fray, particularly if stakeholders litigate to overturn the draft.
After a long and bumpy path to approval, the U.S. FDA has finally given the green light to Cyclopharm Ltd’s Technegas combination product a day after the Sept. 29 PDUFA date.
Following the receipt of a U.K. Conformity Assessed (UKCA) mark for its kidney function diagnostic software, the CKD Screening Prioritizer (CSP), Gendius Ltd. is hoping to soon receive CE mark and then U.S. FDA approval next year. Given that people with type 2 diabetes are at a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease, Gendius’ pre-screening software will be “transformative” for patients and health care systems, CEO Rory Cameron told BioWorld in an interview.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Amicus, Biontech, Capricor, Erydel, Geron, Hutchmed, Outlook, Pfizer, Quince, Regeneron, Takeda.
The FDA has cleared IND applications for UBT-251 injection, a long-acting triple-targeted glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)/glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP)/glucagon receptor agonist developed by The United Bio-Technology (Hengqin) Co. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of The United Laboratories International Holdings Ltd., for adult type 2 diabetes and for overweight or obese subjects.
National support for the biosimilar sector and the domestic industry’s efforts to increase production and sales may not be enough for South Korean biosimilar firms to box out competition in the ever-changing regulatory court of the U.S.