FDA slaps hold on Finch’s C. diff drug
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Today's Rundown

Featured Story

Facing omicron 'curveball,' Inovio seeks endpoint switch amid fear it will strike out against original goal

The long wait for phase 3 data on Inovio’s COVID-19 vaccine just got longer. With DNA vaccine INO-4800 generating significantly lower antibodies against omicron than original SARS-CoV-2, Inovio has paused enrollment and asked regulators to change the primary endpoint to prevention of severe disease.

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Top Stories

Pfizer revs up to leave GSK in the dust as maternal RSV vax granted FDA breakthrough tag

Pfizer already got a major boost for its maternal RSV vaccine this week, when trials for GlaxoSmithKline’s rival shot were halted. And now the FDA has granted Pfizer a breakthrough therapy tag, which could allow the New York pharma to put the pedal to the metal and leave its U.K. peer in the dust.

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FDA slaps hold on Finch's C. diff med to get info on COVID-19 screening for donor-derived therapy

Finch Therapeutics' phase 3 trial for a C. difficile med has been placed on clinical hold by the FDA as the agency requests more information on how the biotech screens the donor-derived microbiome therapy for the virus that causes COVID-19.

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Sponsored: The Importance of the Patient in Advancing Care in Rare Diseases

Read more to learn about Ipsen's commitment to the rare disease community and to ensuring their patients have a voice.

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Novartis backs Epsilogen's bid to turn 'Cinderella antibody' into new class of cancer drug

Novartis has thrown its weight behind a “Cinderella antibody,” leading a 30.8 million pound sterling ($40.9 million) series B round that positions Epsilogen to try to create “a brand new category of pharmaceutical within within cancer.”

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Sanofi picks a 'safe' bet for Adagene's antibody tech in $2.5B biobucks tie up

Sanofi seems to be in a betting mood and has been picking up card after card in licensing deals to bulk up its early-stage pipeline. Now, the French Pharma is putting even more chips down for a tie-up worth a potential $2.5 billion with bispecific antibody producer Adagene.

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SAB's shares drop 45% after NIH ditches COVID-19 trial due to waning hospitalizations

SAB Biotherpeutics' COVID-19 antibody treatment SAB-185 is no longer following in the footsteps of AstraZeneca’s Evushield as the National Institutes of Health has axed a sponsored phase 3 trial citing low COVID-19 hospitalizations. 

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Flagship unveils Vesalius with $75M to bankroll ambitious target of treating 90% of human illnesses

Flagship Pioneering revealed the latest biotech to emerge from its incubator: Vesalius Therapeutics, which begins with $75 million to go after diseases that contribute to 90% of human illness. The ambitious company is being led by former director of the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Christopher Austin, M.D.

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RedHill's 2nd try COVID pill staves off hospitalization in phase 2

RedHill Biopharma's COVID-19 pill kept all 41 patients out of the hospital, as compared to three of 20 patients in the placebo arm, and proved safe and tolerable.

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Epizyme trims workforce, pipeline for FDA-approved cancer drug Tazverik in cost-saving move

Epizyme is cutting 12% of its staff and ending two clinical studies, including mid- and early-stage combo trials for the FDA-approved cancer treatment Tazverik, in an effort to cut costs.

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Sanofi's net prices keep slipping—despite list price hikes—thanks to billions in rebates

Created in 2017 in the name of transparency, Sanofi's annual drug pricing report lays out the latest info on the company's price hikes, rebates and rationale for the cost of new medicines. In the report's latest iteration, Sanofi reveals its price hikes averaged 1.5% last year but that its average net prices fell—once again—by 1.5%. 

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BMS, Novartis, Akebia and more face FDA approval decisions soon, with big sales on the line

An interesting and varied group of drugs—ranging from two first-in-class cancer therapies to a treatment that removes frown lines—face target dates for approval this month. Many of the decisions bear watching as their status could have far-reaching implications in the industry and for patients.

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FDA approves J&J’s allergy-fighting contact lens infused with an antihistamine

Johnson & Johnson’s Acuvue Theravision lenses are laden with ketotifen, the same drug used in a variety of eye drops for taming reactions to pollen, grass, pet dander or dust.

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Quanterix links up with Eli Lilly for Alzheimer's blood biomarker testing collaboration

Amid its recent decision to pump the brakes on the FDA application for its experimental Alzheimer’s drug donanemab, Eli Lilly appears to be casting a wider net in its efforts to improve treatment of the neurodegenerative disease.

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Biden presses for capping insulin costs and nursing home reforms in first State of the Union

President Biden called for a $35 monthly cap on insulin costs and a series of reforms to nursing homes such as staffing requirements during his first State of the Union speech.

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Resources

Paid Marketplace: United Cargo: Providing comprehensive solutions for the most critical shipments

The United Cargo team has made a commitment to pharmaceutical and medical partners that we are equipped to support their vaccine transportation needs safely and effectively across our expansive global and domestic network. The safety and security of these commodities is our priority, and we are proud to be a trusted partner in these efforts. Download infographic now.

Whitepaper: Lipid-Based Drug Delivery System to Bring Poorly Soluble Drugs to Market

How can Lipid-Based Drug Delivery System help bring poorly soluble drugs to market?

Whitepaper: Versatility of Softgel Technology - Encapsulation of a Volatile Compound

Learn more about how the versatility of Softgel Technology helped a customer with a volatile compound.

Whitepaper: The Most Suitable Dosage Form Technologies for the Oral Delivery of Lipid-Based Formulations

What is the most suitable dosage form technology for the Oral Delivery of Lipid-Based Formulations?

Whitepaper: The CNS Market: 2021 Year in Review & Outlook for 2022

What’s in store for the CNS therapeutics market in 2022? This paper looks ahead in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, DMD, psychiatric disorders, pain, and more.

Webinar: The Faster Path From Pre-Filled Syringe to Auto-Injector

Ypsomed and Catalent Biologics experts discuss strategies for integrated PFS manufacturing and auto-injector assembly to accelerate timelines and more in this webinar.

Whitepaper: Formulation Strategies When Transitioning From Vial to PFS

Learn how formulation development for a PFS affects manufacturing to drive the industry toward optimizing delivery of injectable products and, ultimately, improving patient care.

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