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.
Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. has received IND clearance from the FDA to begin a phase I study of ARCT-2304, a self-amplifying mRNA (sa-mRNA) vaccine candidate for active immunization to prevent pandemic influenza disease caused by H5N1 virus.
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.
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.
Hyperfine Inc. gained CE mark approval for the latest generation of its artificial intelligence-powered software for its Swoop portable magnetic resonance imaging system, under the European Medical Device Regulation.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office has rejected an appeal by MCI Diagnostics Inc. regarding a contract bid with the Department of Veterans Affairs despite the company’s assertion that the VA pricing mechanism is flawed.
Early-stage breast cancer patients in the U.S. may soon be able to access another treatment regime based on the result of a Nov. 7 FDA advisory committee for the Prosense cryoablation system by Icecure Medical Ltd. The advisory committee voted 9-5 that the benefits of Prosense outweigh the risks, although the FDA has yet to decide on the application.
The U.S. FDA has had its sights on artificial intelligence (AI) for some time, but an upcoming advisory hearing will review questions such as the regulatory status of a generative AI (GenAI) algorithm. This is just one of several AI-related dilemmas facing the agency in the next few years.
Belief Biomed Inc.’s gene therapy drug BBM-D101 has been awarded U.S. orphan drug and rare pediatric disease designations by the FDA for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).
With the U.S. Congress sitting on its hands on reforms to the 340B drug discount program, states are stepping into the gap. While most state efforts have been aimed at forcing biopharma companies to give the federally mandated drug discounts to an increasing number of contract pharmacies, California is looking in a different direction. According to unofficial election results, a slim majority of the state’s voters said yes to Proposition 34, which would require certain providers that benefit from the drug discounts to spend at least 98% of their 340B revenues on direct patient care.
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