By Tristan Manalac Ahead of the 65th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Society of Hematology, taking place Dec. 9 to 12, event organizers on Tuesday released late-breaking abstracts providing an early view of some of the most high-impact studies in blood disorders to be presented at the conference. Focus on two of those studies below. J&J, Genmab’s Darzalex Faspro Early data from the Phase III PERSEUS study showed that J&J and Genmab’s subcutaneous anti-CD38 antibody Darzalex Faspro (daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj) significantly prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM). PERSEUS enrolled 709 patients in total, of whom 355 were randomly assigned to receive Darzalex Faspro combined with bortezomib, lenalidomide and dexamethasone (VRd). At a median follow-up of 47.5 months, patients treated with the Darzalex Faspro regimen saw a significantly better PFS versus comparators who received VRd alone. The effect had a hazard ratio of ...
Earlier this year, a young man in his mid-thirties with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma came to my oncology clinic for a chemotherapy infusion while waiting on the development of his CAR-T treatment. Under normal circumstances, our practice can move quickly when scheduling patients for their treatments since our in-office infusion clinic maintains an inventory of necessary medications that we prepare ourselves onsite. But, unbeknownst to me, my patient’s health insurance plan included a policy called “white bagging,”- a policy which we soon discovered when they denied one of the chemotherapy drugs I prescribed. Our clinical team repeatedly appealed the denial; however, the plan refused to cover the drug unless it was fulfilled through an unspecified designated specialty pharmacy associated with the patient’s pharmacy benefit manager. Eventually, we were able to negotiate coverage through our practice’s internal inventory, but by the time the patient was able to receive the drug four weeks had ...
A major breakthrough in human genetics has been achieved with the complete decoding of the human Y chromosome, opening up new avenues for research into digestive diseases. This milestone, along with advancements in third-generation sequencing technologies, is poised to revolutionize our understanding of the genetic underpinnings of digestive disorders and pave the way for more personalized and effective treatment strategies. The Y chromosome, the smallest of the human chromosomes, has long been shrouded in mystery due to its complex repetitive structure. However, recent advancements in sequencing technologies have enabled researchers to unravel the intricate details of this genetic region, shedding light on its role in sex determination and its potential impact on various diseases, including those affecting the digestive system. Completing the Y chromosome sequence provides a comprehensive reference for identifying genetic variations that may contribute to digestive diseases. This information is crucial for understanding the “missing heritability” problem, where ...
Agili-C is a porous, biocompatible, and resorbable scaffold for cartilage regeneration in the knee. [Image courtesy of CartiHeal and Smith+Nephew] Smith+Nephew (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN) announced today that it has agreed to acquire CartiHeal and its novel sports medicine technology. CartiHeal’s Agili-C is an off-the-shelf, porous, biocompatible, and resorbable scaffold. Approved by the FDA in 2022, it promotes natural regeneration of the articular cartilage — and restoration of its underlying subchondral bone. Under the acquisition agreement, Smith+Nephew will pay an initial $180 million for CartiHeal. There’s also the potential for CartiHeal’s present owners to receive a further $150 million contingent on financial performance. “The acquisition of this disruptive technology supports our strategy to invest behind our successful Sports Medicine business,” S+N CEO Deepak Nath said in a news release. “Agili-C’s superior clinical performance makes it highly complementary to our existing knee repair portfolio, and with our proven commercial expertise in high-growth biologics, ...
Sunnyside, which offers an app to help consumers moderate their drinking, has raised $11.5 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Motley Fool Ventures and will be partially used for product development. By MARISSA PLESCIA About two-thirds of adults in the U.S. drink alcohol, but about one in three are trying to drink less. Sunnyside, which announced it raised $11.5 million in Series A funding last week, aims to help people cut back on their drinking without having to quit altogether. The San Francisco-based startup offers an app for consumers. At $99 a year, users of Sunnyside have access to drink tracking, daily reminders of their goals, personalized recommendations, community support with other users of the app and one-on-one peer support. “This approach provides a much-needed alternative for those looking to change their relationship with alcohol, but who aren’t open to quitting drinking entirely,” said Nick Allen, ...
Boehringer Ingelheim has said it will be acquiring bacterial cancer therapy specialist T3 Pharmaceuticals in a deal worth over $500m, marking a significant boost to its immuno-oncology portfolio. Boehringer said it is seeking to “significantly increase” the current 15 to 20% remission rate in cancer patients by utilising complementary immuno-oncology platforms such as T-cell engagers, oncolytic viruses and cancer vaccines. T3, founded in 2015 as a spinout from the University of Basel in Switzerland, has developed a proprietary therapy platform that uses live bacteria to deliver immune-modulating proteins directly to cancer cells and tumour micro-environments while sparing healthy tissues. The bacteria can be loaded with multiple immune-modulatory proteins of choice, allowing the design of immuno-oncology combination therapies in one single agent. Michel Pairet, member of the board of managing directors at Boehringer with responsibility for the Innovation Unit, said: “The acquisition of T3 Pharma will significantly expand our immuno-oncology pipeline ...
Two landmark clinical trials involving researchers at University College London (UCL) have demonstrated that levofloxacin is the first effective treatment to prevent multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Results from both trials were announced at the Union World Conference on Lung Health in Paris, France. Annually, around 500,000 people develop tuberculosis (TB), an infectious disease caused by a type of bacteria that affects the lungs, that is resistant to multiple antibiotics. Led by Stellenbosch University in South Africa, with the MRC Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) at UCL responsible for trial management and statistical analysis, the TB-CHAMP trial involved 922 children and adolescents exposed to an adult with MDR-TB in their household. Results showed that levofloxacin reduced the risk of MDR-TB disease by 56%, with very few side effects reported. Additionally, after one year, only 1.1% of children developed TB, compared to 2.6% who received a placebo. The second trial, VQUIN, led by the ...
Merck & Co – known as MSD outside the US and Canada – has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Caraway Therapeutics, with the deal worth up to $610m. The acquisition gives Merck access to the preclinical biopharma’s pipeline of small-molecule therapeutics for genetically defined neurodegenerative and rare diseases. Mutations that impair cellular clearance pathways are associated with multiple neurodegenerative and rare diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders characterised by cognitive dysfunction, according to Caraway. The company focuses on discovering small molecules that activate cellular recycling processes to clear toxic materials and defective cellular components by modulating lysosomal function. George Addona, senior vice president, discovery, preclinical development and translational medicine at Merck Research Laboratories, said: “Caraway’s multidisciplinary approach has yielded important progress in evaluating novel mechanisms of modulation of lysosomal function with potential for the treatment of progressive neurodegenerative diseases. “We look forward to applying our expertise to build upon this ...
By Tristan Manalac The European Patent Office has decided that a hotly contested mRNA patent held by Moderna pertaining to its COVID-19 vaccine is invalid, Reuters reported on Tuesday. The patent in question covers betacoronavirus vaccines that use at least one RNA polynucleotide with an open reading frame that encodes at least one betacoronavirus antigenic peptide, according to its claims document listed in the European Patent Register. While the patent battle is over the use of this technology to produce COVID-19 vaccines, the claims document also seeks to protect its use for other viral respiratory infections, including MERS and SARS. Several biopharma companies have lodged their opposition to these claims, including BioNTech and Pfizer—Moderna’s chief competitors in the coronavirus vaccine market—as well as Sanofi, according to the patent’s listing on the register. A BioNTech spokesperson in a statement to Fierce Pharma said that the company “welcomes” the European Patent Office’s ...
By Tristan Manalac InDex Pharmaceuticals on Tuesday announced that it is discontinuing the Phase III CONCLUDE program, which was evaluating its investigational immunomodulatory therapeutic cobitolimod in ulcerative colitis. The decision to terminate the late-stage study is in line with the recommendations of an Independent Data Monitoring Committee, which found during a planned dose selection, safety and futility analysis that cobitolimod is “unlikely” to meet the study’s primary endpoint, according to the company’s announcement. At the same time, InDex noted that the committee’s advice to discontinue the study was not due to any safety concerns. InDex CEO Jenny Sundqvist in a statement called the committee’s recommendation “surprising and disappointing,” adding that cobitolimod’s failure in CONCLUDE highlights the “complexity of the disease” and points to the need for more research to address the “high unmet medical need” in ulcerative colitis. The company’s stock was trading approximately 59% lower on Wednesday morning in ...
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