The excitement for artificial intelligence (AI) use cases in healthcare—especially those involving generative AI and ChatGPT—is palpable, with experts predicting generative AI could help unlock $1 trillion in healthcare savings. However the AI solution that holds the strongest potential to strengthen care outcomes and health equity isn’t the one healthcare leaders think of first. Instead, right-now value could come from extractive AI. It’s a tool that gives organizations the power to put even handwritten text sent via images or PDF by digital fax into a structured data play. It’s also a practical solution for advancing data interoperability without a heavy technology lift to include healthcare’s “digital have-nots,” like post-acute care facilities and health clinics. A powerful lever for improving health equity A healthcare organization’s ability to support total care, especially for our nation’s most vulnerable patient populations, depends on access to data that enables a 360-degree view of the patient’s ...
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. ...
Eli Lilly has entered into a licence and collaboration agreement with PRISM BioLab aimed at discovering oral inhibitors of a protein-protein interaction (PPI) target, with the deal worth over $660m. The partnership centres around PRISM’s proprietary PepMetics technology, which the Japanese biotech says has the potential to “expand the field of drug discovery by turning previously undruggable PPIs into targets readily druggable with small molecules and by generating oral small molecule alternatives for injectable biologics”. Despite PPI dysfunction being implicated in a broad range of diseases, including cancer, fibrosis and autoimmune disorders, only a small proportion of PPIs are targeted by approved drugs. Lilly, which will select the first PPI target, has the option to add another two to the collaboration and will be responsible for the clinical development and commercialisation of any resulting products. In exchange, PRISM will receive undisclosed upfront payments from Lilly and will be eligible to ...
By Tristan Manalac Pictured: Eli Lilly’s Biotechnology Center in California Eli Lilly on Tuesday signed a license and collaboration agreement with Tokyo-based biotech PRISM BioLab to discover and develop small molecule inhibitors of protein-protein interactions. Under the terms of the deal, Lilly will make an upfront payment and pledges up to $660 million in preclinical, clinical and commercial development milestones. The Japanese biotech will also be eligible for royalties on future sales of any pharmaceutical product that emerges from the partnership. In return, Lilly will gain access to PRISM’s proprietary PepMetics platform, which synthesizes small molecule drug candidates that can behave like peptides, according to the biotech’s ...
When people think of genomics, they typically don’t visualize the primary care setting — but Northshore–Edward Elmhurst Health is trying to change that. Genomics is a key part of the health system’s approach to personalized care delivery, said Kristen Murtos, its chief innovation and transformation officer, in a recent interview. NS-EEH, the third largest health system in Illinois, was created in January 2022 when NorthShore University HealthSystem and Edward-Elmhurst Health completed their merger. “Several years ago, NorthShore leaned heavily into the power of genomics and integrated that as part of primary care practice — unlocking the opportunity to more holistically understand predisposition to certain diseases, to tailor care plans and to be able to give proactive and preventative care versus waiting until disease manifests and just being treated after that,” she explained. At NS-EEH, all patients are offered genetic testing as part of their primary care visit, Murtos pointed out. ...
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission isn’t letting up in its effort to crack down on pharma’s alleged misuse of a patent mechanism in the FDA’s regulatory process. And it’s Sanofi’s turn to land in the crosshairs. The FTC is weighing in on an antitrust lawsuit that Viatris’ Mylan brought against Sanofi in May centered on the French pharma’s popular insulin product Lantus. Although the agency didn’t pick sides in the case, it’s using the lawsuit as an opportunity to criticize the type of behavior accused of Sanofi. Specifically, the FTC argues “improper” listings in the FDA’s “Orange Book” can “cause significant harm to competition, and that harm can extend beyond the delay” in access to a competing drug, the FTC said in an amicus brief filed in the case. In the lawsuit, Mylan accused Sanofi of running a “multifaceted monopolization scheme” to protect Lantus. One of the alleged illegal practices ...
By Tyler Patchen Pictured: A neurosurgeon analyzes an MRI/iStock, gorodenkoff GSK spinout Autifony Therapeutics has entered into an exclusive global licensing deal potentially worth $770.5 million with Jazz Pharmaceuticals for two different ion channel targets associated with neurological disorders. Under the deal announced on Tuesday, the U.K.-based biotech Autifony will receive an undisclosed upfront payment from Jazz and is eligible to receive development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments as well as royalties on any future net sales. Autifony, which is focused on developing treatments for central nervous system disorders and other brain diseases, will spearhead the drug discovery and the preclinical development of the two ion channel targets. Prior to the completion of preclinical development, Jazz will take over clinical development and assume responsibility for manufacturing, regulatory actions and commercialization. “Jazz has an exceptional track record of rapidly advancing neuroscience development programs and effectively commercializing novel therapies that offer improvements ...
University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers received a $13.1 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to continue studies aimed at rejuvenating the immune system of older people in order to improve health throughout the lifespan. Older adults are disproportionally affected by infection, cancer and certain types of autoimmune disease. This is influenced by the fact that as a person ages, their body produces fewer T cells and gets less proficient at maintaining them. T cells are a type of white blood cell essential to the immune system and defense against infection. Janko Nikolich, MD, PhD, principal investigator, professor and head of the Department of Immunobiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, said, “It is clear how much our immune system declines with age when you look at all the previous epidemics and pandemics that have hit us, including COVID-19. Older adults die at a ...
Five pharmaceutical companies have been fined €13.4m ($14.1m) by the European Commission as part of an antitrust cartel settlement revolving around a key ingredient for the antispasmodic drug, Buscopan. The European Commission (EC) has confirmed that Alkaloids of Australia, Alkaloids Corporation, Boehringer, Linnea, and Transo-Pharm all admitted involvement in the cartel and agreed to settle the investigation with the fine. A sixth company, C2 Pharma, was also involved in the plot but was not fined as it revealed the cartel to the EC under the leniency programme. The EC investigation revolved around N-butylbromide scopolamine/ hyoscine (SNBB), an important input material used to produce the abdominal antispasmodic drug, Buscopan, as well as its generic versions. The investigation found that the six companies had coordinated and agreed to fix the minimum sales price of SNBB to customers, as well as allocate quotas. Additionally, the six companies exchanged commercially sensitive information. In a ...
In a company press release, Actym Therapeutics announced that it has extended its Series A financing round with an additional close of $25.5 million, bringing the total Series A amount raised to $59.5 million. Co-led by Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund and Illumina Ventures, with GKCC LLC as a new investor, the new capital is expected to enable ACTM-838 into first-in-human oncology trial. “We have advanced the STACT platform and defined a value-building clinical pathway that will allow us to translate our deep understanding of the tumor microenvironment into a novel approach to an effective and safe cancer treatment,” said Christopher Thanos, PhD, CEO, co-founder, Actym Therapeutics. “We value the continued commitment from our current investors and welcome GKCC LLC into the syndicate. Through their combined support, we aim to bring innovative therapies to patients across multiple solid tumor indications.” Image Credit: Adobe Stock Images/Carlos Montes Published on: October 19, 2023
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