The U.S. FDA thinks using minimal residual disease as an endpoint for accelerated approval in new therapies to treat multiple myeloma (MM) might just be an idea whose time has come. The FDA now wants to know what its Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee thinks about it, so the agency has convened a meeting of the committee for a deep dive into the subject on April 12.
Having failed in their efforts to get the U.S. NIH to march in on Xtandi’s patents under the Bayh-Dole Act because of price, Knowledge Ecology International and two other advocacy groups are now asking the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to do what the NIH refused to do. But rather than pressing for a march-in, which can be a lengthy process, the groups are pushing for CMS to use other statutory tools to clear the way for Xtandi (enzalutamide) generics to launch in the U.S. before Astellas Pharma Inc.’s three remaining patents for the prostate cancer drug expire in 2026 and 2027.
The timing is ripe for a robust biosimilar market in China, given the rapid increase of novel biologics approved to treat cancer and inflammatory diseases in the country over the past decade and the looming patent cliffs for several established biologics. As of December, the NMPA had approved more than 20 biosimilars that were developed in China. Most of those referenced just two biologics – Roche AG’s cancer drug Avastin (bevacizumab) and Abbvie Inc.’s immunology drug Humira (adalimumab). In 2022, the oncology and immunology biosimilar market in China garnered sales of about $2 billion, according to Clarivate estimates. To reach their full potential in China though, biosimilars must win over prescribers and patients.
Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration decided to take another look at the regulatory definition of the clinical decision support (CDS) system, a move driven by technological advances and some confusion as to what type of CDS is exempt from registration requirements.
The U.S. FDA and Department of Justice have announced a consent decree entered into district court that enjoins Philips Respironics LLC North America from manufacturing and distributing respiratory devices from three company facilities in the state of Pennsylvania.
The U.S. FDA has cleared Biocity Biopharma Co. Ltd.’s IND application for a phase I study of BC-2027. This is the company’s second first-in-class antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) to be approved for clinical trials, following BC-3195, which is directed against placental-cadherin (CDH3).
Before formally introducing legislation to spur R&D of treatments for long COVID, the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is calling for stakeholder input on the proposal that would require $10 billion in dedicated, mandatory NIH funding to respond to the chronic condition over the next 10 years.
With two respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines approved by the U.S. FDA in 2023 and a third nearing its May PDUFA date, decades of research has finally provided infants and older adults protection from the disruptive and sometimes deadly virus. But what about people in the middle, particularly those with certain chronic medical conditions? New York-based Pfizer Inc. rolled out phase III data April 9 showing that its approved RSV vaccine, Abrysvo (RSVpreF), met primary endpoints in adults ages 18 to 59 who were at high risk of RSV.
The U.S. FDA accepted for review Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd.’s and Astrazeneca plc’s BLA for datopotamab deruxtecan to treat adults with unresectable or metastatic hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer who have received prior systemic therapy for unresectable or metastatic disease.
Building D&D Pharmatech Inc. has been a rollercoaster ride, according to CEO Seulki Lee. The U.S. and Korea-based biotech is on another ascent, having scored U.S. FDA fast track designation for its metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) drug, ahead of its third attempt at a public listing.