EMA reverses course, backs Leqembi

Today’s Big News

Nov 14, 2024

Citing 'capacity constraints,' Novo Nordisk plots global wind-down of human insulin pen production


Gilead lays off 72 workers in Seattle, plans to shutter R&D support site


EMA changes tune, endorses Eisai and Biogen's Leqembi in restricted Alzheimer's population


Say goodbye to BeiGene as the oncology biopharma becomes BeOne Medicines in rebrand


Merck pays $588M for bispecific to defend Keytruda’s kingdom from emerging threat


PTC wins FDA approval for first brain-delivered gene therapy Kebilidi


BMS' CAR-T cracks down on lupus, achieving sustained responses in phase 1

 

Featured

Citing 'capacity constraints,' Novo Nordisk plots global wind-down of human insulin pen production

Citing "capacity constraints," Novo Nordisk plans to transition its human insulin—which is currently sold in pens and vials—to vials only. The decision is playing a part in a broader discussion around equitable access to diabetes treatments in less-wealthy countries.
 

Top Stories

Gilead lays off 72 workers in Seattle, plans to shutter R&D support site

Gilead will lay off 72 staffers in Seattle, the company confirmed Thursday. Gilead’s lone Seattle office, which the company is also closing down, focuses on “supporting research and clinical development," according to Gilead's website.

EMA changes tune, endorses Eisai and Biogen's Leqembi in restricted Alzheimer's population

Upon reexamination, the EMA has made a U-turn on Eisai and Biogen’s Alzheimer’s disease drug Leqembi. But the recommendation for approval has a restriction.

Say goodbye to BeiGene as the oncology biopharma becomes BeOne Medicines in rebrand

For the past three years, biotechs and pharmas have renamed, rebranded and more in a bid to refresh their corporate appeal.

Merck pays $588M for bispecific to defend Keytruda’s kingdom from emerging threat

Merck & Co. is paying $588 million upfront to defend its Keytruda kingdom. The outlay, plus up to $2.7 billion in milestones, has secured Merck global rights to LaNova Medicines’ PD-1xVEGF bispecific antibody.

PTC wins FDA approval for first brain-delivered gene therapy Kebilidi

The gene therapy has already been approved to treat AADC deficiency in Europe and the U.K., among other countries, where it's branded as Upstaza.

BMS' CAR-T cracks down on lupus, achieving sustained responses in phase 1

Bristol Myers Squibb has linked its CD19-directed CAR-T cell therapy to sustained clinical responses in people with systemic lupus erythematosus, providing further evidence that the emerging class of candidates can reset the immune system.

FDA slams Merz over 'misleading' Instagram ad for Botox rival

A strand of Merz Pharmaceuticals’ star-studded promotion of the anti-wrinkle drug Xeomin has landed it a reprimand from the FDA. The agency sent an untitled letter after finding fault with how the company and one of its celebrity spokespeople handled the risks and benefits of the drug in an Instagram reel.

Kronos shelves sole remaining clinical asset over neurological side effects

The clock is ticking for Kronos Bio after the biotech discontinued its last remaining clinical-stage asset over neurological adverse events.

FDA clears Omron blood pressure cuff with afib pulse wave detection

The FDA's de novo clearance brings afib screening to a wearable device with a most familiar form factor.

Merck joins American Lung Association in raising awareness of pulmonary arterial hypertension

As the rollout of its recently launched pulmonary arterial hypertension drug Winrevair ramps up, Merck is continuing its work to improve awareness of and education around the rare disease.

Muscular dystrophy gene therapy uses cells to stitch together mRNA strands in mice

Gene therapy for some diseases, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy, can be tricky because the needed gene is often too large to fit inside the viral vector used for delivery. Researchers at the University of Rochester have now taken advantage of a basic cell biology discovery to deliver therapeutic muscular-dystrophy-related genes to mouse cells in two pieces, which the cells can then stitch together into a functional gene.
 
Fierce podcasts

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Dig into this year’s Fierce Biotech Graveyard, layoff numbers

This week on "The Top Line," we take a closer look at this year’s biotech graveyard, which tracks biotechs that have closed or are winding down. 
 

Resources

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Is That Heart Attack Really an Adverse Event?

Discover how independent adjudication can safeguard your clinical trials from misidentified adverse events and enhance the credibility of your results.
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Planning for success in cell-based manufacturing

Learn how to evaluate quality documentation to help you select the right raw materials at early decision points for your cell-based manufacturing processes.
 

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On Helix

Date: ‌4 ‌July ‌2024 ‌- ‌Location: ‌Babraham ‌Research ‌Campus, ‌Cambridge ‌UK

 

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