It’s been a long road for PD-1 partners Coherus BioSciences and Junshi Biosciences since their FDA rejection for cancer drug toripalimab more than a year ago, but the companies appear to be nearing the regulatory finish line in the U.S.Wednesday, Coherus said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that the U.S. FDA “successfully completed the required pre-licensing inspection” of Junshi’s manufacturing site in China. The FDA made three observations about plant deficiencies, but Coherus believes those are “readily addressable.” The partners plan to submit their response to the FDA in the coming weeks. Coherus says it’s planning to launch toripalimab in the U.S. after a potential FDA approval. The inspection comes after multiple regulatory delays. In May 2022, the FDA rejected the drug and requested a quality process change. At the time, the companies noted that a resubmission would take about six months because plant inspections had been delayed ...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s independent panel of advisors Thursday recommended full approval of Pfizer’s vaccine that protects infants from respiratory syncytial virus, but raised safety concerns over premature births that may be tied to the shot. The committee unanimously said the vaccine efficacy data was sufficient. Ten of the advisors said the safety data on Pfizer’s shot was adequate, while four said it was not. “If the vaccine actually lives up to the data we’ve seen today, I can guarantee many infants and their parents will breathe easier in the coming years,” said Dr. Jay Portnoy, medical director at the Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, after voting in favor of the safety and efficacy of the shot. Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said he doesn’t believe there is enough data that indicates the safety of the vaccine is “reassuring.” “If ...
Just as biopharma’s M&A prospects seemed to be improving, the U.S. antitrust watchdog is putting a damper on dealmaking. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has filed a lawsuit to block Amgen’s proposed $27.8 billion acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics, the agency said Tuesday. By a unanimous vote among the three Democrat commissioners, the agency is seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to prevent the transaction from closing. In an alarming sign for biopharma M&A scrutiny to come, the FTC argues Amgen could leverage its existing product portfolio to “entrench the monopoly positions” of Horizon meds for thyroid eye disease and chronic gout. The antitrust challenge marks the first time that the FTC has reached beyond specific product overlaps in its reviews and instead focused on companies’ past behaviors around drug pricing. It’s an approach that the agency has threatened to implement since 2021 but has only now reared its ...
By Brenda Goodman, CNN CNN — Pfizer’s vaccine to protect newborns from respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, by vaccinating their moms late in pregnancy cuts the risk that infants will need to see a doctor or be admitted to the hospital with a moderate to severe infection before 6 months of age, according to a new analysis by government regulators. Many parents have been eagerly anticipating this news, particularly after last year’s long and severe RSV season. RSV is a major cause of hospitalization in infants and the elderly each year, and it typically hits hardest during the winter months. Scientists have been working on an effective RSV for young children for roughly 60 years, so there’s plenty of excitement around the prospect of having a candidate get so close to the finish line. But the news isn’t all rosy. Safety data published in an agency analysis Tuesday also showed ...
CTI Biopharma has something many biotech companies aspire to achieve—revenue. Sales of its approved cancer drug are growing, but commercialization comes with costs as does development of the molecule for additional indications. CTI expects it will need to raise money, but the dismal financial conditions mean fundraising prospects for any biotech company could remain challenging for the foreseeable future. Enter Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (Sobi), the Stockholm-based rare diseases biopharmaceutical company. Sobi has agreed to acquire CTI in a cash deal that values the Seattle-based biotech at $1.7 billion. According to the terms of the deal, Sobi will pay $9.10 for each share of CTI, which represents an 89% premium to the stock’s price before the deal was announced Wednesday. The heart of the acquisition is Vonjo, a drug for myelofibrosis, a rare bone marrow cancer that impairs the production of red blood cells. Last year, the FDA granted accelerated approved ...
Experts have called for further scrutiny of a new Pfizer vaccine given during pregnancy to prevent respiratory infection in infants, after trials of a similar GSK vaccine were stopped after a rise in preterm birth and infant deaths. Pfizer says its vaccine is safe and effective, but experts contacted as part of an investigation published by The BMJ today, say Pfizer’s trial data should be reviewed in light of the signal for preterm births seen in GSK’s trial. Pfizer’s maternal RSV vaccine aims to protect infants from severe illness caused by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). RSV is very common but can be fatal, especially in young children. In 2019, an estimated 3.6% of all deaths worldwide in children aged 1–6 months were due to RSV, with 97% of these deaths occurring in low and middle income countries. The vaccine has not yet been approved for use, but a decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is ...
By Max Matza BBC News The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) – an illness that kills thousands of Americans each year. The vaccine still needs approval from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before it can be rolled out to the public. Officials say the vaccine, named Arexvy by the manufacturer GSK, is a major breakthrough that will save many lives. It could be available to people over 60 within months, officials say. “Today’s approval of the first RSV vaccine is an important public health achievement to prevent a disease which can be life-threatening,” said Dr Peter Marks, who leads the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). RSV is a respiratory illness that typically results in cold-like symptoms for adults, but can be dangerous for young children, the elderly, and those with ...
Johnson & Johnson’s idea to carve out the prostate cancer indication from GSK’s PARP inhibitor Zejula has yielded its first global approval. Following a recommendation from the European Medicines Agency, the European Commission has officially approved J&J’s Akeega in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), J&J said Friday. The drug is a fixed-dose combo of Zejula and J&J’s androgen-directed Zytiga, and it’s used alongside a corticosteroid. Under a 2016 deal with Zejula’s developer Tesaro, J&J specifically carved out rights to the drug in prostate cancer. GSK then bought out Tesaro in 2019. Not all patients can get Akeega under the drug’s European label. To be eligible, a patient’s tumor must test positive for BRCA1/2 mutations, which account for 10% to 15% of all cases, J&J said. Akeega’s label in Europe is narrower than that of rival PARP inhibitor Lynparza from AstraZeneca and Merck. The European Commission in December cleared Lynparza and Zytiga for mCRPC ...
Moderna on Tuesday said it expects to see between $8 billion and $15 billion in sales from its Covid, RSV, flu and other respiratory vaccines in 2027. The biotech company said it sees a corresponding operating profit in the range of $4 billion to $9 billion. Those respiratory product estimates are supported by additional research investments of $6 billion to $8 billion “over the next few years,” Moderna added. The announcement came ahead of Moderna’s Vaccine Day on Tuesday. At the annual event, the company presented updates on its vaccine portfolio to investors and analysts eager to see how the company will navigate its post-pandemic boom. Moderna said earlier this year it expects $5 billion in mRNA Covid vaccine sales in 2023, a steep drop from the $18 billion the shot raked in last year. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company’s Covid vaccine remains its only commercially available product. ...
Pfizer on Thursday gained U.S. approval of its newest pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for use in children and infants, helping it compete with a rival shot from Merck & Co. that won a similar OK last year. Pfizer’s vaccine, called Prevnar 20, is designed to protect against infection by 20 strains of the bacteria — seven more than the company’s prior Prevnar 13 version. It has been approved in adults since 2021. Last July, Merck won approval in children of its Vaxneuvance vaccine, which protects against 15 strains. Both companies could soon face more competition as the market has sparked interest from other drugmakers. While vaccines for the bacterial infection are widely available, thousands of cases still lead to hospitalization and death in the U.S. each year. In response, Pfizer, Merck and others have worked to develop new shots that offer better protection, particularly against strains that weren’t ...
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