Dive Brief Glaukos Corporation received Food and Drug Administration approval for a drug-releasing implant that is designed to reduce intraocular pressure in patients with ocular hypertension or open-angle glaucoma. The implant was approved for single administration per eye. The device continuously delivers a formulation of travoprost, an established treatment for high pressure in the eye, to provide patients with an alternative to eye drops and remove the risk that noncompliance with the treatment regimen will affect outcomes. Glaukos failed to secure approval for repeat dosing but plans to work with the FDA to change the label. The wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) is $13,950 per dose, or implant, well above analysts’ expectations. William Blair analysts estimated the price would fall in a range of from $3,000 to $4,000 per implant, while BTIG analysts said they modeled a price of $5,000. Dive Insight Glaukos expects to generate up to $310 million in ...
Pharmaceutical Executive Editorial Staff In clinical trials, Padcev (enfortumab vedotin-ejfv) plus Keytruda (pembrolizumab) produced a statistically significant improvement in survival compared to platinum-based chemotherapy alone in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer. Image credit: Olivier Le Moal | stock.adobe.com The FDA has approved Padcev (enfortumab vedotin-ejfv; Astellas Pharma and Seagen [now owned by Pfizer]) plus Keytruda (pembrolizumab; Merck) for patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer (la/mUC).1 The FDA previously granted the application with priority review and breakthrough designation. The efficacy of the combination was evaluated in the open-label, randomized EV-302/KN-A39 (NCT04223856) trial, which enrolled 886 patients with la/mUC who received no prior systemic therapy for advanced disease. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive either Padcev with Keytruda or platinum-based chemotherapy consisting of gemcitabine with either cisplatin or carboplatin. The trial’s major efficacy outcomes were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) as assessed by blinded ...
To identify true growth opportunities, investors must consider how companies are using AI to revolutionize the treatment journey. Some companies are doing just that via Software as a Medical Device (SaMD), particularly by developing prescription digital therapeutics (PDTs). By DAVID B. KLEIN The excitement around artificial intelligence has been palpable for some time, dominating industry discussions and mobilizing capital for investment opportunities, but as of late, there’s been a change in the air. The optimism that reached a fever pitch in the first half of the year has dissipated. Now begins the hard work of sorting through what it all means. As the healthcare industry responds to the burgeoning opportunities AI presents, especially in developing new, more effective therapeutics and enabling access to treatment, it’s critical that investors prioritize proof over positivity. They must determine if a company’s AI strategy will lead to a high return on investment, or if ...
Since Merck secured approval for kidney cancer pill and blockbuster hopeful Welireg (belzutifan) in August of 2021, sales have grown slowly but surely. With a second FDA nod on Thursday for a much larger patient population, the company can anticipate a more pronounced upswing in revenue from the hypoxia-inducible factor-2 alpha (HIF-2a) inhibitor. The U.S. regulator has given a thumbs up for Welireg to treat relapsed or refractory renal cell carcinoma (RCC) for adult patients who have not responded to a PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitor and who have also been treated with a vascular endothelial growth factor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (VEGF-TK1). Welireg becomes the first drug in its class for patients with advanced RCC and the first novel-class treatment in the indication since 2015, Merck noted. The nod comes on top of its original approval to treat the rare von Hippel-Lindau disease, a hereditary condition that causes tumor growth in ...
Harbour BioMed’s Wholly-owned Subsidiary, Nona Biosciences, announced today that it has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Pfizer Inc. for the global clinical development and commercialization of Nona Biosciences’ MSLN-targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), HBM9033. Under the terms of the agreement, Nona Biosciences will receive a total of up to $53 million in upfront and near-term payments, with the potential for additional payments of up to $1.05 billion upon achieving certain development and commercial milestones. Nona Biosciences is also eligible to receive tiered royalties on net sales ranging from high single digits to high teens. “We are delighted to collaborate with Pfizer, a company that is committed to developing high-impact medicines for people living with cancer,” said Jingsong Wang, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman of Nona Biosciences. “This agreement represents a significant milestone in the advancement of our proprietary Harbour Mice® platform and the ADC ecosystem, affirming Nona’s robust capabilities and expertise ...
On December 16th, during the 18th Asia-Pacific Symposium on Hypertension, the National Launching Meeting of Sacubitril Valsartan Sodium Tablets (trade name: Yixintan®), which is exclusively commercialized by Fosun Pharmaceuticals and researched, developed and manufactured by Nanjing Fangshenghe Pharmaceuticals, was held grandly in Shanghai. The approved indications of Yixintan® (sacubitril valsartan sodium tablets) are for use in adult patients with chronic heart failure (NYHA class II-IV, LVEF ≤ 40%) with reduced ejection fraction, to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalization for heart failure; and for the treatment of essential hypertension. The product is a first-line drug for the treatment of heart failure and hypertension with an innovative crystalline form with independent intellectual property rights. After the launching ceremony, a press conference on the national launching of Yixintan® was held, in which experts appeared and answered questions from the media about the current situation of cardiovascular prevention and treatment, the ...
Science has named the development of glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists and this year’s discovery that these drugs can blunt obesity-associated health problems as its 2023 Breakthrough of The Year. Although obesity’s causes span genetic, physiological, environmental, and social factors, as a medical problem, obesity’s risks can be life-threatening – including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, liver disease, and certain cancers. Drug treatments for obesity have had “a sorry past, one often intertwined with social pressure to lose weight and the widespread belief that excess weight reflects weak willpower,” writes Jennifer Couzin-Frankel in the Breakthrough news feature. However, a new class of drug therapies for weight loss has emerged and is showing promising results. Originally developed to treat diabetes nearly 20 years ago, the excitement surrounding GLP-1 drugs to treat obesity has recently exploded. And this year, two landmark clinical trials that showed in large numbers that GLP-1 agonists produced meaningful ...
BY SEAN WHOOLEY Imperative Care announced today that it initiated a first-in-human clinical study for its novel neurovascular stent system. Campbell, California-based Imperative Care designed the system to only require single antiplatelet therapy for patients undergoing stent-assisted treatment of wide-neck intracranial aneurysms. Dr. Nobuyuki Sakai successfully treated the first three patients enrolled in the study. Sakai serves as director of neurosurgery at the Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital in Kobe City, Hyogo, Japan. All three patients underwent planned procedures for stent-assisted coiling of unruptured aneurysms. Imperative Care reported all three patient discharges from the hospital within 48 hours on an aspirin-only antiplatelet regimen. The company reported no device- or procedure-related complications, including clot formation. “The ability for neurovascular implants to avoid dual antiplatelet drug therapy, which carries the risk of serious bleeding complications, will be an important step forward,” said Sakai said in a news release. “I am encouraged ...
BY SEAN WHOOLEY The ThermoCool SmartTouch dual-energy ablation catheter could offer a treatment option for AFib. [Image courtesy of Biosense Webster]Johnson & Johnson’s Biosense Webster today announced the first completed patient cases in a study of its dual-energy ablation catheter. Biosense Webster designed the ThermoCool SmartTouch SF to deliver both radiofrequency (RF) and pulsed-field ablation (PFA) energy. The SmartPulse pivotal study evaluates the dual-energy system in the treatment of paroxysmal AFib. AFib ablation has become a hotbed for innovation in recent years. Medtronic stands as one competitor after its $1 billion Affera acquisition, plus the FDA yesterday approved its PulseSelect PFA system for treating AFib. Boston Scientific and its Farapulse system represent another exciting option in the space. The company expects FDA approval sometime next year. Dr. David Newton of Memorial Health University Physicians Heart Care and Dr. Andrea Natale of Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute, St. David’s Medical Center, performed ...
Drugdu.com expert’s response: Entering the business of pharmaceutical intermediates involves several key steps and considerations: 1.Industry Understanding Comprehensive Research: Understand the pharmaceutical industry, focusing on the role and demand for intermediates in drug production. Market Trends and Needs: Identify current trends, future projections, and specific needs within the market for pharmaceutical intermediates. 2.Regulatory Compliance Regulatory Knowledge: Familiarize yourself with the regulatory environment, including quality standards and certifications like Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). Licensing and Permits: Obtain necessary licenses and permits required for manufacturing and trading pharmaceutical intermediates. 3.Business Plan and Strategy Business Model Development: Develop a clear business model, including target market, business scale (local, national, international), and value proposition. Financial Planning: Prepare a detailed financial plan covering startup costs, operational expenses, and revenue projections. 4.Supply Chain and Manufacturing Manufacturing Setup: Decide whether to manufacture in-house or outsource. If manufacturing, ensure the setup meets industry standards. Supplier and Customer ...
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