Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Inc. is counting on the Oct. 31 meeting of the U.S. FDA’s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee to help it break through the type 1 diabetes (T1D) door with Zynquista (sotagliflozin), proposed as an adjunct to insulin to improve glycemic control in people with T1D and mild to moderate chronic kidney disease.
Astellas Pharma Inc. has withdrawn its marketing authorization application from the EMA for its avacincaptad pegol intravitreal solution for the treatment of geographic atrophy secondary to age-related macular degeneration. “The company's decision to withdraw its application followed interactions” with the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, an Astellas spokesperson told BioWorld.
Ngenebio Co. Ltd. launched a precision diagnostic panel called Oncoaccupanel RNA in South Korea Oct. 29 as a test to detect oncogenic fusion genes commonly found in solid tumors.
Although more and more gene therapies are getting the FDA stamp of approval, concerns persist about their potential long-term risks. U.S. lawmakers have proposed several pieces of legislation over the past few years to address some of the uncertainties. Now the Congressional Research Service (CRS) is suggesting other requirements Congress may want to consider to improve the regulatory landscape for gene therapies, especially those intended to treat blood disorders.
FDA commissioner Bob Califf made it his mission to counter medical and food product misinformation, and described the dilemma as an emergency at an Oct. 28 public meeting.
The U.S. FDA cleared Paragonix Technologies Inc.’s Kidneyvault portable renal perfusion system, which combines digital monitoring capabilities and hypothermic perfusion technology to preserve donor kidneys during transportation.
The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA)’s Kickstart program has announced receipt of both U.S. orphan drug and rare pediatric disease designations in support of work for congenital myasthenic syndrome caused by choline acetyltransferase (CHAT) gene deficiency. The FDA awarded the orphan drug designation to AVCHAT-01X (AAV serotype 9 human choline acetyltransferase).
Ideaya Biosciences Inc. has announced FDA clearance of an IND application for IDE-275 (GSK-959), a small-molecule inhibitor of Werner helicase (WRN) discovered by Ideaya in collaboration with GSK plc.
With the U.S. FDA’s approval of Orlynvah (sulopenem etzadroxil and probenecid) for uncomplicated urinary tract infections, Iterum Therapeutics plc can move on from regulatory delays and prepare to launch only the second FDA-approved treatment for the indication in the past 20 years.