LONDON – Two years into the pandemic and the number of new drugs approved by the EMA fell from 97 approvals in 2020 to 92 in 2021. But both years are still well up on pre-COVID-19 times in 2019 when 66 products got the nod, according to the EMA’s annual human medicines report.
Livzon Pharmaceutical Group Inc.’s key interim data from the phase III trials of its recombinant SARS-CoV-2 fusion protein vaccine, V-01, has shown efficacy against the omicron variant. The phase III trial aims to evaluate the efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of V-01 as a booster in adults older than 18 after they have received two doses of inactivated vaccines.
As part of its ongoing effort to speed drug pricing competition in the U.S. through the development of generics, the FDA is releasing another batch of draft and revised draft product-specific guidances on the design of bioequivalence studies to support abbreviated new drug applications. Among the 30 new draft guidances is one specific to remdesivir, which was approved in October 2020 as a COVID-19 treatment.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Amylyx, AN2, Astrazeneca, Beigene, BMS, Cstone, Epygenix, Immune-Onc, Kato, Lupin, Moderna, Poxel, Sanofi, Valbiotis, Zai Lab.
The Biden administration has posted a request for information (RFI) about the conditions necessary for the in vitro diagnostic industry to sustain testing capacity for communicable disease outbreaks, although the letter commits to no specific actions. The Advanced Medical Technology Association responded to the RFI with the recommendation that the administration quickly commit to the provision of resources as a means of ensuring that “market volatility will no longer determine test availability.”
Regulatory snapshots, including global submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Bonalive, Evoendo, Novacyt, Oncimmune.
As the Biden administration continues to play musical chairs with key U.S. federal health leadership positions, its latest move is naming Francis Collins to serve as science adviser to the president and co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Acadia, Avenue, Biontech, Celcuity, GBT, Hemogenyx, Hillstream, Jixing, Lexeo, Mirati, Moderna, Pfizer, Revive, Sirnaomics, Swanbio.