Arboviruses represent an emerging global health threat, exacerbated by climate change and increased international travel that is facilitating their spread across new regions. Chikungunya, dengue, West Nile, and Zika viruses are the four most significant arboviruses of concern, all being transmitted by mosquito bites. In 2023 alone, dengue virus accounted for over five million cases and 5,000 deaths worldwide. Traditionally, assessing the risk of arboviruses in blood donors has relied on single-pathogen tests, dual-pathogen tests, or donor history questionnaires, with those having traveled to or lived in areas endemic for arboviruses being temporarily deferred. Now, an in vitro nucleic acid test that can detect all four types of arboviruses can help minimize the risk of blood transfusion-transmitted infections. The new Procleix ArboPlex Assay from Grifols (Barcelona, Spain;) is an automated nucleic acid test (NAT) specifically validated for screening blood donors to detect chikungunya, dengue, West Nile and Zika viruses. The ...
Shanghai, China & JERSEY CITY, N.J. – April 8, 2024 – Shanghai Henlius Biotech, Inc. (2696.HK) and Organon (NYSE: OGN) announced that the phase 3 comparative clinical trial for the investigational Prolia® and Xgeva® (denosumab) biosimilar HLX14 met the primary endpoints. In 2022, Henlius entered into a license and supply agreement with Organon for the exclusive commercialization rights to two biosimilar candidates, including HLX14. The agreement covers markets such as the United States, the European Union, and Canada. An exception from the agreement is China. The randomized, double-blind, international multicenter, parallel-controlled phase 3 clinical study (NCT05352516) aimed to compare the efficacy, safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of HLX14 with EU-sourced reference denosumab (Prolia®) in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture. Eligible patients were randomised at a 1:1 ratio to receive subcutaneous injection of 60 mg of HLX14 or reference denosumab (Prolia®) every six months. The primary efficacy endpoint ...
Recently, Hengrui Pharmaceuticals’ subsidiaries, Shanghai Shengdi Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. and Suzhou Shengdia Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. have received the Approval Notice of Drug Clinical Trial issued by the State Drug Administration, which authorizes to conduct the Phase Ib/II clinical study of Adebelizumab Injection in combination with SHR-A1811 and chemotherapy for HER2-expressing advanced adenocarcinoma of the stomach or the gastroesophageal junction. In 2020, gastric cancer ranked 5th in global cancer incidence and 4th in mortality. Among them, 43.9% of new cases and 48.6% of deaths will occur in China, with 479,000 new cases and 374,000 deaths, both ranking third in China in terms of cancer incidence and mortality. Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (HER2)-positive gastric cancer is a unique subtype of the disease, which requires different diagnostic and therapeutic strategies from HER2-negative gastric cancer. The global reported HER2-positive rate of gastric cancer is 7.3%-20.2%, and the HER2-positive rate of gastric cancer in ...
A research project led by the University of Liverpool has been awarded over £6m by Unitaid, a global health initiative to prevent, diagnose and treat major diseases in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and to advance long-acting therapeutics to treat or prevent tuberculosis, malaria and hepatitis C. First launched in 2020, the LONGEVITY project aims to ensure that therapeutics for these conditions are easily accessible in LMICs as part of the University of Liverpool’s Centre of Excellence for Long-acting Therapeutics (CELT). To date, the project has already accomplished preclinical proof of concept for long-acting medications for tuberculosis, an infectious disease caused by a bacterium that affects the lungs, and a therapy for the hepatitis C virus, which can lead to liver infection. Caused by a parasite transmitted through bites of infected mosquitoes, malaria is responsible for an estimated 247 million cases, according to the World Health Organization’s 2022 World Malaria ...
Around three million people in the UK were estimated to be living with cancer in 2022 Alliance Healthcare has announced it has opened access to UK pharmacies of its ‘Not Normal for You?’ (NNFY) cancer symptom referral scheme to allow pharmacists to refer patients showing potential cancer symptoms to their GPs. The expansion follows the successful launch of the scheme across Alphega Pharmacy’s network, a brand under Alliance Healthcare comprising a network of independent pharmacies across the world. According to Macmillan Cancer Support, around three million people in the UK were estimated to be living with cancer in 2022. The most common cancers in the UK are breast cancer, which accounts for 15% of all cases, followed by prostate cancer (14%), lung cancer (13%) and bowel cancer (11%). As part of the rollout, Alliance Healthcare will provide pharmacies with marketing materials such as leaflets and referral cards, free of charge, ...
Regular aerobic exercise later in life prevents genomic instability characterized by DNA damage and telomere dysfunction, according to a study from the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Utah. Researchers will present their work this week at the American Physiology Summit, the flagship annual meeting of the American Physiological Society (APS), in Long Beach, California. Jisok Lim, PhD, said, “These new findings will greatly impact our understanding of the mechanisms on how aerobic exercise improves vascular health at the level of genomic stability.” Late-life exercise used to be thought of as ineffective. However, existing studies indicate aerobic exercise later in life lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease-related mortality. Yet, the specific factors contributing to this effect have not been completely understood. Researchers examined whether regular exercise with aging may prevent DNA damage and telomere dysfunction. Telomeres are protective caps at the end of chromosomes. In this study, exercise ...
Heavy alcohol use may increase middle-aged adults’ risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, according to research to be presented this week at the American Physiology Summit in Long Beach, California. The Summit is the flagship annual meeting of the American Physiological Society (APS). Heavy alcohol use is defined by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) as five or more drinks per day or 15 or more drinks per week for men and, for women, more than four drinks per day or eight or more drinks per week. Heavy alcohol use can diminish liver and pancreas function. Reduced function of these organs in turn can affect control of glucose (blood sugar) in the body. In regard to heavy drinking, research suggests young adults do not typically experience severe impairment of fasting glucose levels and insulin resistance. However, as the U.S. population ages, the number of people that develop ...
Davy James Abecma was found to triple progression-free survival compared to standard regimens with a 51% decline in the risk of disease progression or death in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who were previously administered two or more lines of therapy. The FDA has approved Bristol Myers Squibb’s and 2seventy bio’s Abecma (idecabtagene vicleucel) to treat adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who were previously administered two or more lines of therapy that included an immunomodulatory agent (IMiD), a proteasome inhibitor (PI), and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody.1 The regulatory action expands the indication for Abecma to earlier lines of treatment in patients whose disease relapsed or became refractory following administration of the three primary treatment classes following two prior lines of therapy. “Abecma has demonstrated a progression-free survival benefit three times that of standard regimens in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, and we are now bringing the ...
Diagonal Therapeutics develops agonist antibodies to treat rare cardiovascular conditions. Using artificial intelligence, the startup’s technology sorts through billions of antibody/receptor combinations to identify the ones that reactivate signaling pathways lost to disease.In a drug discovery career spanning more than two decades, Alex Lugovskoy has seen a lot of antibodies come and go. The vast majority of them work by inhibiting a cellular function. Lugovskoy, now the CEO of startup Diagonal Therapeutics, said he long hoped someone would come up with a way to develop antibodies that activate their targets. With each passing year, no one did. So he took up the challenge himself. Diagonal uses computational and experimental techniques to understand what happens when an antibody binds to a receptor and which binding combinations will yield the desired effect. After developing its platform for the past two years, the startup this past week pulled back the curtain on its ...
UK-based CDMO Touchlight has teamed up with the University of Liverpool, UK, to utilise its doggybone DNA (dbDNA) technology in for developing a personalised DNA vaccine for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which will be assessed in a clinical trial. Touchlight’s dbDNA is a small, closed loop of DNA that is made in a lab using enzymes. This technique can speed up the drug development process by amplifying long and complex DNA sequences without traditional methods like bacterial fermentation. The term doggybone DNA refers to the structure of the synthesised DNA molecule, which resembles a bone with two loops at each end. The approach offers a way to make vaccines very quickly, especially for personalised treatments. In March 2023, Touchlight received a £14m ($17.7m) grant from the UK government for commercial scale manufacturing of the technology. A team at the University of Liverpool will use Touchlight’s dbDNA technology ...
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