PharmaFocus Today – Page 271 – media

Researchers receive $2.5 million award to develop a tailored treatment for glioblastoma

A multidisciplinary team of investigators from the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center was awarded a $2.5 million Translational Team Science Award from the Department of Defense to develop a tailored treatment for glioblastoma, a deadly brain tumor with limited treatment options. The team -; including David Nathanson, associate professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Benjamin Ellingson, director of the UCLA Brain Tumor Imaging Laboratory and professor of radiological sciences, and Dr. Timothy Cloughesy, professor of neuro-oncology -; plan to target the epidermal growth factor receptor, a protein that is mutated in about 60% of people diagnosed with glioblastoma. Previous attempts have had limited success improving patient outcomes due to drugs’ inability to cross the blood-brain barrier and target genetic alterations in the protein that are unique to glioblastoma. To overcome these obstacles, the researchers have developed ERAS-801, a brain-penetrant inhibitor that ...
- Source: drugdu
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- September 7, 2023
New UK study suggests brain fog after COVID-19 is linked to blood clots

A new UK study led by a research team from the University of Oxford and the University of Leicester has suggested that blood clots in the brain or the lungs could potentially explain common symptoms of long COVID. The post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHosp-COVID), published in Nature Medicine, found that people admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 had higher levels of the fibrinogen protein and protein fragment D-dimer, which can cause excess clotting. Excess blood clotting was found to be a possible cause for symptoms like brain fog and fatigue in long COVID. Previous research has found that blood clotting can cause a lack of blood supply to the brain or cause fatigue, which both can cause cognitive problems. People with long COVID can have a wide range of symptoms that last weeks, months, or even years after having a SARS-CoV-2 infection, and for some, it can result in disability or ...
- Source: drugdu
- 186
- September 7, 2023
Nestlé divests peanut allergy treatment Palforzia to Stallergenes Greer

Nestlé has unloaded its peanut allergy drug Palforzia to Swiss biopharma Stallergenes Greer after previously spending billions on the treatment’s acquisition. The company will receive undisclosed milestone payments and ongoing royalties from Stallergenes Greer as part of the deal, according to the 4 September announcement. In August 2020, Nestlé acquired Palforzia through its $2.6bn takeover of Aimmune Therapeutics, the original developer of the peanut allergy treatment. Prior to this, Nestlé invested $473m in Aimmune over several years. Most recently, Aimmune received $200m from Nestlé in February 2020, only days after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Palforzia as a peanut allergy treatment for children ages four years through 17. The European Commission approved the drug in the same patient group in December 2020. While the drug was approved for use in children, the drug can also be used in those aged 18 and older in combination with a ...
- Source: drugdu
- 229
- September 7, 2023
VGovernment-backed autoinjector specialist AktiVax shutters ‘substantially all of its operations,’ lays off 70

Despite scoring a number of federal contracts in recent years, it’s lights out for government-backed rescue autoinjector maker AktiVax. Late last month, AktiVax, also known as Aktiv Pharma Group, informed the state of Colorado that “the company must shut down substantially all of its operations,” citing “unexpected circumstances.” In turn, the company is mothballing three manufacturing facilities and laying off around 70 employees. The plant closures and layoffs are set to affect a facility in Broomfield, Colorado, plus two sites in Fort Collins, according to a letter sent to a state official. The “entire plants” are to be closed, and AktiVax expects the action will be “permanent.” Jobs that will be affected run the gamut from patent prosecution and purchasing agents to engineers, technicians, quality control microbiologists and human resources executives. AktiVax’s business primarily revolves around its autoinjector ARAI, which the company says is the only autoinjector with single-hand, single-step ...
- Source: drugdu
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- September 7, 2023
Years after $2B buyout, Nestlé ditches Aimmune’s peanut allergy drug Palforzia

After lackluster sales dampened the initial enthusiasm that came with a $2.1 billion acquisition, Nestlé has finally found a new owner for its peanut allergy drug Palforzia. Nestlé has divested Palforzia to U.S.-based allergy specialist Stallergenes Greer for an undisclosed sum, the food giant said Tuesday. The transaction closed when the two companies signed the agreement. Nestlé will receive milestone payments and royalties from Stallergenes Greer. The deal comes later than expected. Back in November, Nestlé announced a strategic review of Palforzia, citing slower-than-expected uptake by patients and doctors. At that time, the review was expected to be done in the first half of 2023. Palforzia became the first drug approved by the FDA for peanut allergy in children in January 2020. Back then, Evaluate Pharma projected that the drug could reach $1.28 billion in sales by 2024. Seeing Palforzia’s value in its food allergy portfolio, Nestlé in August 2020 ...
- Source: drugdu
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- September 7, 2023
Novartis Confirms Sandoz Spin-Off Plans, Sets Oct. 4 Completion Date

By Tristan Manalac Pictured: Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research building in California/iStock, JHVEPhoto Novartis on Tuesday confirmed that it is pushing through with the spin-off of its generics and biosimilars division Sandoz, pending the final approval of its shareholders. To secure approval, the Swiss pharma group will hold an extraordinary general meeting set for Sept. 15. If given the go-ahead, Novartis expects to complete Sandoz’s spin-off “on or around” Oct. 4, the company said in Tuesday’s announcement. Novartis is also planning to list Sandoz on the SIX Swiss Exchange, with an American Depository Receipt (ADR) program in the U.S., for which the pharma group will likewise need to secure regulatory approvals. Novartis first launched a strategic review of its generics unit in October 2021, when it announced that it was exploring options for the business moving forward—including a potential sale. At the time, Sandoz was seeing better volume sales figures ...
- Source: drugdu
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- September 7, 2023
Illumina Taps Agilent Exec as New CEO Amid Company’s Daunting Challenges

By Kate Goodwin Pictured: Illumina sign in San Diego/iStock, Georgejason After months of upheaval, Illumina named Jacob Thaysen its new CEO Tuesday, replacing Francis deSouza who stepped down in June after losing a proxy fight with billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn. Thaysen, the former senior vice president of Agilent Technologies and president of its life sciences and applied markets group, will take the reins Sept. 25. He has his work cut out for him. The DNA-sequencing technology company has faced a rocky road since its acquisition agreement with cancer diagnostics maker GRAIL in September 2020. The deal faced scrutiny from both the Federal Trade Commission and the European Commission due to concerns over antitrust laws. In April, activist investor Carl Icahn went after then-CEO Francis deSouza and campaigned to replace three of Illumina’s board members. While his efforts only got him one seat on the board, deSouza did step down ...
- Source: drugdu
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- September 7, 2023
About Half of MA Beneficiaries Leave Their Plan After 5 Years

As Medicare Advantage enrollment grows, a new study found that about half of Medicare Advantage enrollees disenroll from their plan after five years. The study was conducted by researchers at Brown University School of Public Health and was published in JAMA Health Forum. It examined nearly 82.4 million individuals “with any” Medicare Advantage enrollment between 2011 and 2020. The researchers found that after one year of enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan, 13.2% of non-dually enrolled beneficiaries disenrolled from their plan, and 15.9% of dually enrolled beneficiaries disenrolled from their plan. Then, after five years, 48.3% of non-dually enrolled beneficiaries left their contract, as did 53.4% of dually enrolled beneficiaries. “On one hand, these levels of disenrollment may be indicative of a healthy [Medicare Advantage] marketplace, with beneficiaries freely choosing contracts and making different elections if better choices become available,” the study said. “On the other hand, this could also ...
- Source: drugdu
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- September 6, 2023
5 Foundational Capabilities Needed for Implementing a Value-Based Care Program

Ready or not, value-based care (VBC) is here. For providers and medical practices, the stakes are high. Despite spending more money per person on healthcare than any country in the world, patients in the United States experience the worst outcomes overall of any high-income nation. The problem? The traditional fee-for-service model has created a misalignment between financial incentives and desired outcomes by compensating clinicians for each service delivered, encouraging greater volume rather than improved health outcomes. VBC seeks to restore that alignment, rewarding practices and providers for delivering measurable health outcomes and cost-effective care. Moreover, practices that embrace VBC can open significant opportunities to improve the health outcomes of their patients while preserving their practice’s profit margins under a stagnating fee-for-service landscape for reimbursement rates and increasing medical inflation. According to CMS.gov data, physician and clinical services expenditures sat at 5.6% in 2021, down 1% from 2020, while spending on ...
- Source: drugdu
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- September 6, 2023
Weight-loss drug firm becomes Europe’s most valuable

By Mariko Oi The maker of weight-loss drug, Wegovy, has become Europe’s most valuable firm dethroning the French luxury conglomerate LVMH. Shares rose after the Danish pharmaceutical giant, Novo Nordisk, launched the popular drug in the UK. At the close of trading on Monday, the firm had a stock market valuation of $428bn (£339bn). The drug is now available in the UK public healthcare system and also on the private market. Wegovy is an obesity treatment that is taken once a week which tricks people into thinking that they are already full, so they end up eating less and losing weight. Famous personalities such as Elon Musk are among the reported users of the drug, which has captivated Hollywood and the public more widely since it was approved by regulators in the US in 2021. Wegovy and Ozempic – a diabetes treatment with similar effects – have been described as ...
- Source: drugdu
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- September 6, 2023

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