Pharmaceutical Executive Editorial Staff Phase III trial to investigate novel individualized neoantigen therapy V940 (mRNA-4157) in combination with Keytruda (pembrolizumab) as an adjuvant treatment for patients with completely resected Stage II, IIIA, or IIIB non-small cell lung cancer. Image credit: Axel Kock | stock.adobe.com Merck and Moderna, Inc., have announced plans to launch the pivotal Phase III INTerpath-002 (NCT06077760) clinical trial of the novel individualized neoantigen therapy V940 (mRNA-4157) in combination with Keytruda (pembrolizumab) as an adjuvant treatment for patients with completely resected Stage II, IIIA, or IIIB non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). V940 is comprised of synthetic mRNA coding for up to 34 neoantigens that are designed and produced based on the unique mutational signature of a patient’s tumor. After administration of the drug, the algorithmically derived and RNA-encoded neoantigen sequences are endogenously translated and undergo natural cellular antigen processing and presentation. “As lung cancer is the leading cause ...
Novartis drug iptacopan, which won its first FDA approval in early December in a rare blood disorder, has met the main goal of a pivotal test in an ultra-rare kidney disease. The small molecule’s potential to address many diseases has stirred up blockbuster expectations. By FRANK VINLUAN The blockbuster potential for new Novartis drug iptacopan rests on the molecule’s ability to reach many diseases. The drug is on the way to its first one, following a recent FDA approval in a rare blood disorder. Now Novartis has data in a different rare disease with no approved treatment options. The Swiss pharmaceutical giant says these results could support regulatory submissions in 2024. While Novartis has said iptacopan could achieve peak sales topping $3 billion, the company has provided no breakdown of that projection by indication. The results announced Monday are from a Phase 3 test of iptacopan in C3 glomerulopathy (C3G), ...
If you can’t beat them, join them. After Bristol Myers Squibb’s Opdivo topped Seagen’s classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) therapy Adcetris in a head-to-head trial, Seagen has trotted out new datasets suggesting the two drugs—a PD-1 inhibitor and an antibody-drug conjugate—hold potential when paired together as part of a combination. In a midstage study, all patients with early-stage cHL who received a combination of Adcetris, Opdivo and the chemotherapy regimen AD (doxorubicin and dacarbazine) were alive without disease progression after one year of treatment. The analysis came from 150 patients enrolled in part C of the phase 2 SGN35-027 trial and was shared at the 65th American Society of Hematology annual meeting. The data look promising, but cHL is known to be relatively easy to treat. In an interview, Megan O’Meara, M.D., Seagen’s head of clinical development, acknowledged that people want to see longer-term data—and ultimately a survival benefit—in frontline cHL. ...
Groundbreaking? Game-changing? Transformational? Historic? None of the buzzwords sound adequate to describe Friday’s FDA approval of Vertex Pharmaceuticals and CRISPR Therapeutics’ Casgevy (exa-cel) to treat sickle cell disease (SCD). The therapy is a long-awaited potential cure for the debilitating and life-threatening disease which affects more than 100,000 in the United States, most of them Black. It’s also the first medicine using the revolutionary CRISPR gene-editing system, which earned its inventors a Nobel Prize in 2020 and holds tantalizing potential to cure diseases for which there is no treatment. Friday, in surprising timing, the FDA approved a second gene therapy for SCD, bluebird bio’s Lyfgenia (lovo-cel), which was due for a decision Dec. 20. Both approvals are for people 12 and older. The FDA has signed off on roughly two dozen cell or gene therapies, beginning with Novartis’ Kymriah in 2017, but none have the potential impact of Casgevy and Lyfgenia. ...
On December 1, a delegation of global health experts from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Gates Foundation) visited Beijing Zhifei Biological Products Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zhifei Biologicals, and visited the production workshop and related laboratories, and had an in-depth exchange of views on innovative topics, such as key conjugate vaccine projects. Mr. Du Lin, Executive Director of Beijing Zhifei Biological Products Co., Ltd., and others warmly received the delegation and attended the seminar. The visiting Gates Foundation delegation included clinical experts, vaccinologists and immunologists, and senior strategists. During the meeting, the Zhifei Biologicals team explained the clinical trials of key conjugate vaccine products, domestic and overseas sites and vaccine marketization, etc. The delegation introduced the incidence of relevant diseases and flow-regulation data, and made suggestions on planned clinical studies, etc. The Gates Foundation delegation fully recognized Beijing Zhifei Biological Products Co., Ltd.’s R&D strength and industrialization ...
Known pathogens behind current spate of respiratory infections in parts of nation The recent surge of respiratory illnesses in China is fueled by known pathogens, and vaccination efforts are still vital to stem the spread, medical experts said on Saturday. Mi Feng, National Health Commission spokesman, said the clusters were all caused by recognized pathogens, and medical workers are dealing with them by using mature treatment plans. “Diseases induced by unknown viruses and bacteria have not been detected yet,” he told a news conference in Beijing. Mi said vaccinations must be stepped up for vulnerable groups such as older adults and children to lower the risk of infection. He said their work priorities would be to increase the supply of hospital beds, streamline the outpatient reception process and bolster the supply of online medical services to avoid large gatherings in hospitals. The spokesman urged the public to take personal precautions ...
Shanghai, December 10, 2023 – Dizal today presented the full analysis of the multinational pivotal study of golidocitinib for r/r PTCL (JACKPOT8 PART B) in an oral presentation at the 65th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition (2023 ASH, San Diego). The results were simultaneously published in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal The Lancet Oncology (Impact Factor: 54.4). This follows the publication of the Phase I clinical data of golidocitinib for the treatment of r/r PTCL (JACKPOT8 PART A) in Annals of Oncology (Impact Factor: 51.8) three months ago. Golidocitinib is currently the first and only Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) selective inhibitor being evaluated for the treatment of r/r PTCL. A total of 104 patients with r/r PTCL were enrolled in the JACKPOT8 PART B study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of golidocitinib as a monotherapy. At the cut-off date of August 31, 2023, per independent review committee ...
Pharmaceutical Executive Editorial Staff FDA approval of bluebird bio’s Lyfgenia and Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ and CRISPR Therapeutics’ Casgevy marks significant milestone in the treatment of sickle cell disease. The FDA has approved a pair of landmark treatments for sickle cell disease (SCD) in patients 12 years of age and older, marking the first cell-based gene therapies for SCD. As part of today’s regulatory action, both bluebird bio’s Lyfgenia (lovotibeglogene autotemcel [lovo-cel]) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ and CRISPR Therapeutics’ Casgevy (exagamglogene autotemcel [exa-cel]) gained approval for the inherited blood disorders, which affect approximately 100,000 people in the United States. “Sickle cell disease is a rare, debilitating and life-threatening blood disorder with significant unmet need, and we are excited to advance the field especially for individuals whose lives have been severely disrupted by the disease by approving two cell-based gene therapies today,” Nicole Verdun, MD, director of the Office of Therapeutic Products within the ...
Pfizer already reported its experimental drug for hemophilia A and B met a pivotal study’s goals of reducing bleeding episodes. During the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, the company presented a full look at the results, which are expected to support regulatory submissions soon. By FRANK VINLUAN Patients with hemophilia A or B can manage the inherited bleeding disorders with regular infusions of the clotting proteins they lack. This treatment helps—until it doesn’t. One problem with these infused factor replacement therapies is patients can develop inhibitors, which are antibodies that render the clotting proteins ineffective. Experimental Pfizer drug marstacimab takes a different approach to both forms of hemophilia. Results from a pivotal study show the subcutaneously injected drug met the main goals of reducing bleeding episodes. The company also has some additional long-term data showing continuing improvement beyond the initial clinical trial evaluation period. The full Phase ...
BY SEAN WHOOLEY Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE: EW)+ announced today that it intends to spin off its critical care business by the end of 2024. The company shared a number of key plans going forward as it outlined its plans for future growth. Among its plans, Edwards expects to spin off the critical care unit and its full range of smart monitoring technologies next year. “During 2024, Edwards plans to support the growth and leadership of innovations in advanced patient monitoring, with the goal of improving the quality of care for millions of patients annually,” Edwards wrote in a news release. Analysts expect shares of Edwards to move up on the news today. Shares of EW rose 1% at $70.17 apiece in early-morning trading today. MassDevice’s MedTech 100 Index — which includes stocks of the world’s largest medical device companies — remained even. Edwards intends to complete the spin-off tax-free. The ...
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