Early stage investment strategies and dealmaking in the age of COVID-19 became topics during the Biopharm America meeting, itself held virtually this year because of the pandemic. Kevin Johnson, partner and co-founder of European life sciences backer Medicxi, hailed an “unprecedented upswing” on the financial front. “There is no winter,” he said. “It’s amazing.”
The latest global regulatory news, changes and updates affecting biopharma, including: New TGA service to ease the burden of biowaivers; FDA formalizes outside experts program; FDA unveils Digital Health Center of Excellence; FDA updates clinical trial guidance.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: ADC, BMS, Crispr, Emmetrope, Genocea, Knight, Lilly, Medeor, Mustang, Nicox, Ocumension, Redhill, Therapeuticsmd, UCB, Vertex.
TORONTO – Ka Imaging Inc. has received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance for a portable, dual-energy X-ray detector that distinguishes itself from others in this class by delivering regular digital radiography, bone and tissue images in a single X-ray exposure. Designed for early detection of pneumonia, including COVID-19, the Reveal detection system also differentiates bone and soft-tissue.
Visby Medical Inc. emerged from stealth mode to secure emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. FDA for its Personal PCR device for detection of COVID-19 infections. It is the first FDA-authorized portable device to use the polymerase chain reaction technology for COVID-19 testing. The San Jose, Calif.-based company was known as Click Diagnostics Inc. until March 2020.
The digital medicine company Physiq Inc. has received a contract from the NIH to develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-based index that can provide an early warning that a patient with COVID-19 is in decline and needs medical treatment. The index, called the COVID-19 Decompensation Index (CDI) Digital Biomarker, will run on Physiq’s existing Accelerateiq computing platform, analyzing physiological data from FDA-cleared wearable devices to create a personalized baseline for patients who have tested positive for COVID-19.