The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has awarded priority review for Astellas Pharma’s biologics licence application (BLA) for zolbetuximab to treat gastric cancer patients. Zolbetuximab is an investigational monoclonal antibody that acts on Claudin 18.2 (CLDN18.2). It is intended for use as a first-line therapy for HER2-negative gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma that is locally advanced, unresectable or metastatic, with tumours that are CLDN18.2-positive. Zolbetuximab is the first treatment targeting CLDN18.2 to be offered in the region for such patients. A decision on the approval by the regulatory agency is anticipated on 12 January 2024. The application is based on the Phase III SPOTLIGHT and GLOW clinical trial findings. Zolbetuximab was assessed along with a regimen comprising oxaliplatin, leucovorin and fluorouracil (mFOLFOX6) in the SPOTLIGHT trial. The GLOW trial analysed zolbetuximab in combination with a chemotherapy regimen comprising capecitabine and oxaliplatin (CAPOX). Astellas immuno-oncology development ...
Pfizer has invested $25m in the clinical-stage, clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats, genome-editing biopharmaceutical firm, Caribou Biosciences. Pfizer purchased 4,690,431 common shares of Caribou at $5.33 per share. Pfizer global product development multiple myeloma vice-president and development head Sriram Krishnaswami will now join the scientific advisory board of Caribou. The investment will be used to progress an immune-cloaked allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy, CB-011. The company is currently evaluating the cell therapy in a Phase I CaMMouflage clinical trial for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The US Food and Drug Administration granted fast track designation for CB-011 in April 2023. The complete ownership and control of the pipeline comprising allogeneic CAR-T and CAR-NK cell therapies will be retained by Caribou. Caribou president and CEO Rachel Haurwitz stated: “We believe Pfizer’s investment in Caribou highlights the potential of our clinical programmes and we are excited to establish this partnership with one ...
US-based Novavax received its first full marketing authorisation for its Covid-19 vaccine Nuvaxovid (NVX-CoV2373) in the EU. Nuvaxovid is now fully authorised as a primary series vaccine for general Covid-19 prevention for individuals aged 12 years and older and as a booster dose in adults aged 18 years and older. The approval follows a positive opinion from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) in May 2023, surrounding the vaccine’s full approval. The full authorisation comes a few years after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) granted the prophylactic a conditional marketing authorisation, in December 2021. At the time, Nuvaxovid was the fifth vaccine recommended for Covid-19 prevention in the EU. Novavax has authorised its vaccine in more than 40 markets worldwide. Nuvaxovid is a novel Matrix-M adjuvant protein-based vaccine that has received a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) emergency use authorisation but has not yet received full ...
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted traditional approval for Eisai and Biogen’s Leqembi (lecanemab-irmb) 100mg/mL injection to treat Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in adults. With the approval of the supplemental biologics licence application (sBLA), Leqembi becomes the first therapy to slow disease progression rate and cognitive and functional decline in AD patients. This development is based on findings from the Phase III portion of Eisai’s Clarity AD clinical trial. Trial data showed that the product met the Leqembi primary endpoint and all crucial secondary endpoints, and also demonstrated clinical benefit. In January 2023, the regulatory agency granted accelerated approval for Leqembi. Leqembi is a humanised immunoglobulin gamma 1 (IgG1) monoclonal antibody that targets aggregated soluble (protofibril) and amyloid beta’s (Aβ) insoluble forms. Eisai CEO Haruo Naito stated: “The FDA approved Leqembi under the traditional approval pathway, making Leqembi the first and only approved anti-amyloid Alzheimer’s disease treatment shown ...
GSK’s Cabenuva made history in 2020 as the world’s first complete, long-acting HIV regimen. But the injectable drug is approved in various countries only as a switch therapy for patients who already have undetectable HIV levels in the blood. Trying to reach tough-to-treat patients who have difficulty controlling the virus with existing daily oral therapies, GSK’s ViiV Healthcare is getting creative. To seek an approval for Cabenuva in patients who aren’t virologically suppressed while on oral drugs, GSK’s ViiV is exploring running a clinical trial using a historical control group. This would replace the standard practice of randomizing some patients in the study to receive standard-of-care oral meds, ViiV’s R&D head Kimberly Smith, M.D., said during a recent interview. The FDA in February unveiled draft guidance laying out the considerations for the use of external control groups in clinical trials to prove a drug’s safety and efficacy. The gist is, ...
A global study, led by UCL and UCLH and sponsored by Roche, has shown that the cancer immunotherapy atezolizumab significantly improved the overall survival of advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer patients who were not able to be treated with platinum-containing chemotherapy, when compared to single-agent chemotherapy. The trial results, published today in The Lancet, are good news for non-small cell lung cancer patients who are not eligible for standard of care platinum-based chemotherapy, due to concerns about their ability to withstand the treatment. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, with around 2.2 million new cases and 1.8 million deaths a year. The majority of patients present with advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) . For the fittest patients with advanced stage NSCLC, first-line immunotherapy with or without platinum-based doublet chemotherapy (PDC) is now established as the standard of care treatment. This follows several randomized ...
By Heather McKenzie Pictured: Physician with notepad/iStock, Everyday better to do everything you love The European Medicines Agency recently flagged a safety signal regarding the potential for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists to cause thyroid cancer. The documentation—the first step taken by the regulator toward investigation of potential adverse events in approved products—comes as demand for the popular diabetes and weight loss drugs reaches a fever pitch. The safety signal reported by the EMA’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) in April covers a range of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1) agonists, including semaglutide, the key ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus. Supplemental information was also requested from Eli Lilly, Sanofi and AstraZeneca, all of which manufacture drugs in this class. GLP-1 is a hormone that stimulates insulin secretion after eating, enabling a feeling of fullness and regulating blood sugar. GLP-1 agonists mimic the effects of this hormone, making them an ...
A major clinical trial has found a simple change to world practice for kidney transplants could deliver real benefits for recipients and reduce their need for dialysis by 25 per cent. The BEST-Fluids trial was conducted by the Australasian Kidney Trials Network (AKTN) in collaboration with researchers from The University of Queensland, The University of Adelaide, and The University of Sydney. ATKN chair and UQ Professor David Johnson said the trial assessed the use of an intravenous fluid containing sodium, potassium, magnesium and chloride in proportions similar to human blood – instead of the usual practice of using normal saline (sodium chloride and water). David Johnson, UQ Professor, said, “Of those study participants who received intravenous Plasma-Lyte 148, 30 per cent needed dialysis after their transplants, compared to 40 per cent for those given normal saline. This is a significant improvement in outcomes for those undergoing kidney transplant surgery.” Royal ...
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted an orphan drug designation to ImPact Bio’s padeliporfin vascular targeted photodynamic therapy (VTP) for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. Israel-headquartered ImPact Bio expects to submit an investigational new drug application (IND) later in 2023, with a Phase I trial of the treatment in patients with locally advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma also scheduled for this year, per a 5 July press release. Orphan drug designations come with certain benefits such as granting tax credits for US-based clinical trials and recommendations from the FDA on the required clinical and preclinical studies. Padeliporfin VTP is based on the combined use of the drug padeliporfin and non-thermal laser light. The drug is administered intravenously to a patient after which it is activated by a non-thermal laser light in the specific area of the tumour, per the company’s website. The light results in the drug’s ...
In people with myelodysplastic neoplasms (MDS), a usually benign form of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the body produces too few functional blood cells. Affected individuals suffer from anemia—a lack of red blood cells or hemoglobin—which can be a precursor to acute leukemia. Compared to the standard treatment, luspatercept can increase hemoglobin levels in MDS patients and help them to avoid blood transfusions. These are the findings of an international clinical trial led by Professor Uwe Platzbecker from Leipzig University and the University of Leipzig Medical Center in collaboration with a large international research team. Every year, around 4,000 people in Germany alone are diagnosed with myelodysplastic neoplasms (MDS). In these patients, the healthy maturation of blood cells is disrupted, which can lead to anemia, infections and an increased risk of bleeding. High-risk MDS is characterized by rapid progression, severe symptoms and often a transition to acute leukemia that results in a ...
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