PharmaFocus Today – Page 363 – media

Leisure-time physical activity may improve mental health in teens

A recent study led by the University of Eastern Finland suggests that regular leisure-time physical activity, even in small doses, is associated with lower odds of depression, anxiety, chronic stress, and school psychologist visits among Finnish adolescents. However, the relationship between active school transport, i.e., walking or cycling to school, and mental health remains inconclusive. The findings were published in the prestigious Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. Regular physical activity can improve mental health through various pathways, such as increasing the production of “feel-good” hormones, enhancing sleep quality, and boosting self-confidence. While mental health problems are common, few large population-based studies have examined the relationship between physical activity and adolescent mental health. Furthermore, it is currently unknown whether active school transport can have beneficial effects on mental health. The researchers observed that leisure-time moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with better mental health among nearly 33,000 15-to-16-year-old ...
- Source: drugdu
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Orbital raises $270 million in biotech’s largest Series A round this year

Gwendolyn Wu Reporter Biotechnology venture firms have become more selective about where to invest in recent months, wary of the headwinds currently blowing against the industry. But that newfound caution hasn’t hurt Orbital Therapeutics, which said Wednesday it raised $270 million in biotech’s largest Series A round this year. The funds will help Orbital, which emerged from stealth last year partnered with gene editing pioneer Beam Therapeutics, to build its team and select a lead program. It claims its technology could be applied in many different directions, from use in next-generation RNA vaccines to protein replacement therapies or drugs for autoimmune diseases and cancer. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Orbital has not yet named specific disease areas it’s prioritizing. However, the financing positions the company to submit its first regulatory filing, like an application to begin human testing, in the next two to four years, CEO Giuseppe Ciaramella said. “The ...
- Source: drugdu
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New research suggests that french fries may be linked to depression

French fries — they’re greasy, starchy and a comfort food for many. But reaching for fried foods may have a negative impact on mental health. A research team in Hangzhou, China, found that frequent consumption of fried foods, especially fried potatoes, was linked with a 12% higher risk of anxiety and 7% higher risk of depression than in people who didn’t eat fried foods. The link was more pronounced among young men and younger consumers. Fried foods are known risk factors for obesity, high blood pressure and other health effects. These results “open an avenue in the significance of reducing fried food consumption for mental health,” according to the paper published Monday in the journal PNAS. However, experts who study nutrition said the results are preliminary, and it’s not necessarily clear whether the fried foods were driving mental health issues, or people experiencing symptoms of ...
- Source: drugdu
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UK monkeypox vaccine rollout to wind down

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has announced its vaccination programme against mpox will end this summer. Cases of the disease have fallen from a peak of 350 per week in July to just six new cases so far in 2023, three of which were caught overseas. First doses of the vaccine will remain available to those at highest risk until 16 June, with second doses available until the end of July. The UKHSA says it will monitor cases and restart the programme if needed. While the mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, virus can infect anyone, most UK cases were among men who have sex with men. Anyone eligible who has not yet received a vaccine is being encouraged to book an appointment to protect themselves before summer. Greg Owen, from sexual health and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) charity the Terrence Higgins Trust, said: ...
- Source: drugdu
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BrainStorm files ALS drug application over FDA protest

Ned Pagliarulo Lead Editor A sign for the Food And Drug Administration is seen outside of the headquarters on July 20, 2020 in White Oak, Maryland. Sarah Silbiger via Getty Images A yearslong disagreement between the Food and Drug Administration and a developer of an experimental medicine for ALS will get a public hearing sometime in the future, setting up another high-profile debate of what amount of evidence merits an approval for the progressive and fatal disease. On Monday, BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics said the agency will convene a panel of outside experts to review its medicine, a personalized stem cell treatment called NurOwn. The planned meeting, which has not yet been scheduled, is the result of BrainStorm taking the rare step of requesting its approval application be filed over the FDA’s protest. Last November, the regulator refused to review BrainStorm’s application, which was based on a late-stage clinical trial that failed to meet its main goal. ...
- Source: drugdu
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Pfizer, BioNTech enlist Marvel’s Avengers in latest COVID-19 vaccine booster push

Just like how the Avengers have repeatedly kept the world safe from Ultron, people need to protect themselves by updating their COVID-19 vaccination with the latest booster. That’s the message Pfizer and BioNTech are trying to get across in a new custom comic book partnered with Marvel. The companies unveiled the project Tuesday. “We are proud to work with Marvel, which is so firmly entrenched in global culture and entertainment, to help remind people of the actions they can each take to help protect themselves, similarly to how the Avengers protect their community,” Pfizer said in a statement shared with Fierce Pharma Marketing. The new comic, titled “Everyday Heroes,” represents Pfizer flexing its marketing muscle. COVID vaccines are slated to switch to the private commercial market after the U.S. government failed to secure additional funding from Congress. As Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, Ph.D., has said, Pfizer can be “even more competitive” and ...
- Source: drugdu
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FDA awards Biogen’s ALS drug Qalsody an accelerated approval, following its experts’ feedback this time

The FDA has approved another Biogen drug for a neurological disorder. And, unlike the controversial go-ahead for Aduhelm, the agency’s neuroscience division didn’t go against its external advisers’ advice this time. Tuesday, the FDA granted an accelerated approval to Biogen and Ionis’ tofersen to treat patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) associated with a mutation in the SOD1 gene. The drug will be sold under the brand name Qalsody. The move follows the recommendation from an FDA advisory committee in March. At that time, nine experts agreed that Qalsody’s ability to reduce plasma neurofilament light (NfL), a biomarker of nerve injury and neurodegeneration, provides enough basis for a conditional approval. However, thanks to a phase 3 trial flop, the panel voted against full approval. SOD1-ALS is a small subset of ALS, affecting fewer than 500 patients in the U.S. and about 2% of all 168,000 ALS patients ...
- Source: drugdu
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- April 27, 2023
Novartis trims 10% of drug pipeline in research cutback

The company discontinued about 20 early-stage projects after reviewing their strategic fit and commercial potential. Novartis said Tuesday it will discontinue or license out 10% of its clinical development projects after reviewing their strategic fit and sales potential. The Swiss drugmaker has trimmed its drug pipeline to 136 projects, down by 16 from the 152 disclosed in its fourth quarter earnings report, according to a presentation Tuesday. The biggest cutbacks came to its early-stage projects, with 19 programs cut. Half of those were early-stage programs testing drugs for solid tumors. The move comes one year after Novartis resized its business and narrowed its research focus to five core therapeutic areas — cardiovascular, immunology, neuroscience, solid tumors and hematology. It expects to save at least $1 billion annually by 2024 as a result. “We systematically looked at the pipeline, identified projects that were outside the scope ...
- Source: drugdu
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Biogen’s new strategy brings more pipeline cuts, but leaves deal options open

Biogen has stopped or paused several drug programs as part of a larger effort to cut costs and prioritize certain research. The decision, disclosed Tuesday in the company’s latest earnings report, comes as sales of its marketed medicines for brain and nervous system disorders continue to fall. Biogen recorded $2.46 billion in total revenue between January and March, a 3% decline from the same period a year prior. Revenue was down across most business segments, with the company’s flagship multiple sclerosis franchise taking the biggest hit, decreasing by 19%. Christopher Viehbacher, the former chief executive at Sanofi and the recently minted CEO of Biogen, is now trying to reshape a research and development organization that, for many years, revolved around high-risk, high-reward neuroscience programs. ““Having a few of those projects in our pipeline is good,” he said in February, “having 100% … is challenging.” On Tuesday, Biogen ...
- Source: drugdu
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Implications for public health

The rapid global transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) led to a pandemic commonly known as Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). To date, this pandemic has affected approximately 686 million people and claimed more than 6.8 million lives worldwide. Even though this virus is primarily transmitted through respiratory droplets or direct contact with an infected person, SARS-CoV-2 has also been detected in feces. It is, therefore, possible that SARS-CoV-2 may be excreted in human feces and other bodily secretions, such as saliva and urine, and be transported subsequently to wastewater treatment plants. Study: Survival of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. Image Credit: Avigator Fortuner / Shutterstock Background The recent identification of SARS-CoV-2 in feces has raised the concern that it could be an additional route of viral transmission. A similar occurrence was recorded in 2003, during the first SARS pandemic. During this period, SARS cases increased due to aerosolized fecal matter, which resulted from faulty ...
- Source: drugdu
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