“Pull incentives such as high cost of therapy and longer exclusivity periods, similar to those granted for orphan drugs, are needed to promote the development of new antimicrobials” says Severin Schwan, chairman of the board of directors of Roche. Schwan was speaking about the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting taking place from 15–19 January 2024 in Davos, Switzerland. Shyam Bishen, head of the Centre for Health and Healthcare at the World Economic Forum, noted at the same discussion that AMR is the third leading cause of death globally and is forecasted to be responsible for 10 million deaths annually in 2050. Schwan said most companies have left the antimicrobial sector as they perceive that there is no sustainable business model. “The research and development subsidiaries offered by various governments to develop antimicrobials are a waste of money and are not worth it to ...
More than 400 million cases of urinary tract infections (UTIs) are reported every year across the world. The gold standard for diagnosing UTIs and planning a treatment course depends on rapid dipstick tests and clinical diagnostic analysis. However, dipsticks have low specificity and can yield false positives, resulting in the overuse of antibiotics. Additionally, clinical tests have a lengthy turnaround time and offer 80% accuracy, resulting in physicians opting for the wrong course of treatment. Now, a benchtop analyzer with the ability to accurately identify the causative bug and the right antibiotic in under an hour could be a game changer for UTI diagnosis. Astek Diagnostics (Baltimore, MD, USA) is developing the JIDDU benchtop analyzer to improve UTI diagnosis through rapid, one-hour turnaround times and an unprecedented 96% accuracy. Leveraging a novel method for antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST), JIDDU rapidly detects bacterial infections in urine samples, assesses infection severity, and ...
On January 3, 2024, the quadrivalent influenza virus lysate vaccine independently developed by Wuhan Institute of Biological Products of China Biologicals (WIBP) was granted a certificate of drug registration by the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This is another international registration certificate obtained after the Kenyan registration certificate in 2023, marking the steady progress of the internationalization strategy of Wuhan Bioproducts Research Institute and the gradual opening of a new channel for exporting vaccine products to the Middle East. Influenza is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by influenza virus. According to WHO’s estimation, about 600 million people are infected with influenza virus globally every year, and as many as 250,000 to 500,000 cases of death. Influenza vaccination is the most cost-effective preventive measure. Influenza vaccine of Wuhan Institute of Biological Products is prepared by a patented process without antibiotics and preservatives. It ...
Group B Streptococcus (GBS), a bacterial strain, is the leading cause of severe infections in newborns in the UK. Around one in four pregnant women in the UK are carriers of GBS, often unknowingly, and during childbirth, there’s a 50% chance of transmitting the bacteria to the baby. While most exposed infants remain healthy, approximately one in 1,750 will develop early-onset GBS infections, including sepsis, pneumonia, or meningitis, which can have severe consequences. The UK currently employs a ‘risk factor-based screening’ approach, providing antibiotics during labor to women identified with GBS during pregnancy or those with a previous baby affected by GBS. However, this strategy fails to detect many GBS carriers, with about 65% of early-onset GBS infections in newborns occurring in babies whose mothers had no identified risk factors. Now, a research project is examining the potential of a rapid bedside test for safeguarding newborns from life-threatening illnesses transmitted ...
SHANGHAI, Dec. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Jemincare, a leading pharmaceutical company from China, announced that its wholly owned subsidiary company, Shanghai Jemincare Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., recently received 6 approvals of clinical trials for its innovative drugs in the field of cancer, kidney and anti-infectious diseases, including 4 approvals from National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) and 2 approvals from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). On December 20, NMPA has approved a clinical trial for JMKX003801 to treat serious infection caused by Gram-negative bacteria. Drug resistance of antibiotics, especially carbapenem resistance, in Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa has risen year by year. Preclinical studies on its mechanism show that JMKX003801 can overcome carbapenem resistance with very broad antibacterial spectrum. On December 12, NMPA has approved a clinical trial for JMKX003142 to treat renal edema. There are about 120 million patients of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in ...
After a year plagued by recalls, Pfizer’s sterile injectables unit Hospira seems no closer to righting the ship over its glass-contamination woes. What’s more, the company’s latest product pulls threaten to intensify the ongoing shortages of several critical hospital drugs. Shortly before the holiday, Pfizer’s Hospira announced two separate recalls over the potential presence of glass particulates in vials and syringes of certain meds. In the case of injectable cancer medication bleomycin—of which Hospira is recalling one lot—a confirmed customer report alerted the company to the presence of glass particulates within a single vial, the company said in a notice posted on the FDA’s website. The second recall, which covers three drugs—two strengths of injectable sodium bicarbonate, plus one lot of atropine sulfate injection—kicked off after the company flagged “the potential presence of glass particulate matter” during routine product inspection. In both cases, Pfizer and Hospira said they hadn’t received ...
It’s time to build the infrastructure needed to scale up inhaled gene therapies targeting cystic fibrosis, and to bolster investment that supports several key program components. By JOAN LAU Thanks to simultaneous achievements in gene therapy and medicine delivery platforms, new solutions to intractable problems are bringing us to a real watershed moment in the treatment of respiratory disease. This synchronicity of science and tech advancements is no accident; along with colleagues in my own and other organizations, I have been working for the past several years on the medical and technological leaps that together signal hope for respiratory-disease patients with unmet need. This is especially true for those with cystic fibrosis (CF), for whom the standard of care is in urgent need of update. And now that we have the science and the technology in place, we must push to scale-up efforts; patients are waiting. Right now, CF patients ...
In a pivotal move towards addressing one of the world’s most underrecognized health challenges, the World Health Organization (WHO) today announced the inclusion of noma (cancrum oris or gangrenous stomatitis) in its official list of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). This decision, which was recommended by the 17th meeting of the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Neglected Tropical Diseases (STAG-NTD), underscores WHO’s commitment to expanding health services to the world’s most vulnerable populations. Noma, a severe gangrenous disease of the mouth and face, primarily affects malnourished young children (between the ages of 2 and 6 years) in regions of extreme poverty. It starts as an inflammation of the gums, which, if not treated early, spreads quickly to destroy facial tissues and bones. It frequently leads to death, with survivors suffering severe disfigurement. Accurate estimation of the number of noma cases is challenging due to the rapid progression of the disease ...
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 ...
The University of Edinburgh, the University of Arts London, Silchar Medical College, Assam University and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi have collaborated on a new UK-India research project, DOSA2, to help combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). LifeArc, UK Research and Innovation, Economic Social Science Research Council, the Newton fund and the government of India’s Department of Biotechnology will fund and support the Diagnostics for One Health and User Driven Solutions for Antimicrobial Resistance (DOSA) project. Designated as one of the top ten global public health threats facing humanity by the World Health Organization, AMR occurs when bacteria, fungi and parasites change and adapt to antibiotics over time. Globally, urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the second leading cause of antibiotic consumption, often purchased over the counter in India, one of the highest human antibiotic-using countries in the world, and taken without medical supervision, contributing to the global issue of AMR. The ...
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