// Biotech and Pharma Therapeutics
Abbott, Dexcom could benefit from CGM use jump among Type 2 diabetes patients: report
October 13, 2021 / Abbott / Dexcom / CGM / Diabetes
Use of continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps has been steadily expanding in recent years, helping to insulate diabetes device makers when the COVID-19 pandemic slowed sales across medtech markets in 2020. CGM company Dexcom and insulin pump providers Insulet and Tandem Diabetes Care added users and saw revenues grow last year and in the first half of this year.
Nuvectis Pharma: Developing Precision Targeted Therapies In Oncology
October 15, 2021 / Nuvectis / Pharma / Oncology
Nuvectis Pharma is building a pipeline of anticancer therapies utilizing precision targets. NVCT filed for an IPO of $30 million. Here is a full investment analysis
Supernus expands its portfolio of Parkinson’s drugs with a $400M+ buyout
October 11, 2021 / Supernus / Parkinson’s / Buy-out
A year after swooping in on its first Parkinson’s acquisition, the two companies announced that they had reached an agreement for Supernus to pay up to $9.10 per share in cash as part of the acquisition — close to $450 million.
The energy switch: Big Pharma harnesses sun, wind and water in quest for a low-carbon future
October 15, 2021 / Climate Change / Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Sustainability / Amgen
Alongside collaborative robots and automated guided vehicles, Amgen has carved out space for solar panels at its upcoming smart factory in New Albany, Ohio. The company’s $550 million facility-to-be in Holly Springs, North Carolina, has also set aside rooftop real estate to harness the power of the sun.
A Dallas Startup Aims to Build a Big Business—and Transform Lives—by Curing Rare Diseases
November, 2021 / Start-up / Rare Diseases
Babies born with spinal muscular atrophy often live brief, heartbreaking lives. They miss key developmental milestones. They cry weakly. They can’t roll over. They never sit up on their own or feed themselves.
// 4th Industrial Revolution
Amazon and Big Pharma Unite to Propel AI Innovation in Therapeutics
October 14, 2021 / Amazon / Big Pharma / AI / Innovation
Four leading pharmaceutical companies partnered with Amazon Web Services and Israel Biotech Fund to launch AION Labs, an innovative space that will allow drug developers to harness artificial intelligence technologies and computational science to solve therapeutic challenges.
3D Printing Applications in the Fight Against Breast Cancer
October 14, 2021 / Breast Cancer / 3D Printing
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by the end of 2020, 7.8 million women alive had been diagnosed with breast cancer in the past 5 years, making it the world’s most prevalent cancer as well as one of the leading cause of cancers death in women worldwide. There are also men who suffer from the cancer, with the CDC finding that 1 in 100 breast cancer patients is male. Out of these women in particular, 40% require a mastectomy, the partial or total removal of a breast, for recovery.
DreaMed Diabetes’ ‘digital endocrinologist’ AI expands to Type 2 diabetes with FDA green light
October 8, 2021 / Artificial Intelligence / Regulatory / Type 1 Diabetes / Type 2 Diabetes
It’s a common difficulty in many medical specialties: there typically aren’t enough specialists to go around. DreaMed Diabetes hopes to relieve some of the strain with its artificial-intelligence-powered system aimed not at patients but at clinicians.
Why are scientists massaging mice with robots?
October 15, 2021 / New Study / Mechanotherapy
Skeletal muscle enables the body to move and maintain posture. Direct injury — for instance, from trauma — can impair a person’s movement and quality of life.
What’s big in A.I. this year
October 12, 2021 / AI / New Tech / Regulations
Every year, Nathan Benaich and Ian Hogarth publish a report on “The State of AI” that examines cutting-edge research, how AI is being applied now, and the politics and regulation of the technology.
// Business & Markets
Latest investments: Medtronic, AION Labs, Tredence & more
October 14, 2021 / Medtronic / Aion Labs / Tredence / ESG Targets
We round up the latest investments, acquisitions and launches in healthcare. Medtronic’s latest performance report includes a commitment to fill 45% of its global management positions with women, and 30% of US management positions with ethnically diverse talent by 2026
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Enabled Drug Discovery and Clinical Trials Market Anticipated to Grow Globally at a CAGR of 23.6% during 2021-26
October 11, 2021 / AI / Drug Discovery / Clinical Trials
The “Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Enabled Drug Discovery and Clinical Trials Market” is likely to grow at a CAGR of around 23.6% during the forecast period, i.e., 2021-26, says the author. The market growth primarily attributes to the rising demand for reducing the cost of novel drug discovery and their production.
Roche announces PathAI collaboration for artificial intelligence-based digital pathology applications for improved patient care
October 15, 2021 / Roche / PathAI / AI
Roche today announced that it has entered an agreement with PathAI, a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI)-powered technology for pathology. Under the development and distribution agreement, the companies will jointly develop an embedded image analysis workflow for pathologists. This workflow will allow PathAI image analysis algorithms to be accessed within NAVIFY Digital Pathology, the cloud version of Roche’s uPath enterprise software.
Three New Nasdaq Tickers and MPM Capital Secures $850 Million to Impact Oncology
October 8, 2021 / Nasdaq / Oncology / Cognition Therapeutics
This morning, New York-based Cognition Therapeutics began trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “CGTX.” The company hopes to raise approximately $45.2 million in its IPO. The stock opened at $12 per share.
Ardelyx axes 65% of workforce with no clarity from FDA on kidney drug’s future
October 13, 2021 / Chronic Kidney Disease / Clinical Data / Complete Response Letter / Drug Development
Ardelyx doesn’t know where to go from here. The FDA won’t give the biopharma clarity on the prospects for its chronic kidney disease drug, so the company is going to have to say goodbye to 65% of its staff.
// Legal & Regulatory
Is a vaccine for rheumatoid arthritis possible?
October 9, 2021 / Vaccine / Rheumatoid Arthritis
RA is a debilitating chronic condition that impacts the joints in the body. It can cause pain and decrease people’s ability to function. While individuals can manage the condition, there is no cure.
Federal judge rejects a government bid to delay Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy settlement
October 14 2021 / Pharma / Bankruptcy /
The U.S. Justice Department’s bankruptcy watchdog agency had urged Judge Colleen McMahon of the U.S. District Court in Manhattan to put the brakes on the deal until it was reviewed on appeal.
EU considers reform of general pharma law
October 11, 2021 / EU / Pharma Law
In its review, the Commission is considering potential reform in a wide range of areas including in relation to unmet medical needs; improving access to and affordability of medicines; addressing antimicrobial resistance, ensuring security of supply of medicines, adapting the regulatory approach to account for “novel products”; and environmental challenges.
Merck Asks FDA to Authorize Promising Covid-19 Pill
October 13, 2021 / Merck / FDA / Covid-19
Earlier this week pharmaceutical company Merck announced it has submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use of what could be the first-ever pill to treat Covid-19. Because the antiviral drug can be delivered in series of convenient and relatively inexpensive capsules, some experts say it could be a game-changer in the fight against the virus.
Pharmalittle: FDA scientists uncertain about Moderna vaccine boosters; pharma may face stricter rules for supplying meds in the EU
October 13, 2021 / FDA / Moderna / Vaccine
Drug makers may face stricter rules to ensure the supply of medicines in the European Union as the bloc tries to reduce its imports of pharmaceutical products from China and other foreign “autocracies,” Reuters explains. At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, the 27-country bloc encountered protracted problems in obtaining a wide range of medicines and their ingredients from India and China, as supplies tightened amid lockdowns and export restrictions.
// Research & Development
Challenges to Scientific Expertise: Future Implications for Oncology
October 12, 2021 / Oncology / Covid-19
The continued uncertainties of the current and future status of the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in a lack of trust in the authority of the scientific establishment in the United States, and elsewhere, as it operates during these difficult times.
Pacira Adds Flexion’s Zilretta to Non-Opioid Pipeline in $427 Million Deal
October 11, 2021 / Zilretta / Opioid / Flexion Therapeutics
Shares ofFlexion Therapeutics are soaring more than 72% in premarket trading after Pacira Biosciences announced it was acquiring the company for $427 million in cash. Pacira said Flexion’s non-opioid pain treatment pipeline will complement its own programs for pain management.
Corium Receives March 11, 2022 PDUFA Date for New Drug Applicaion ADLARITY patch (donepezil transdermal system) for Treatment of Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease
October, 2021 / Alzheimer’s / New Drug / ADARITY
Corium, INC., a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company leading the development and commercialization of novel central nervous system (CNS) therapies, announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) set a Prescription Drug User Fee (PDUFA) target action date of March 11, 2022 for Cori…
Imfinzi™ improves liver cancer survival in Phase III trial
October 15, 2021 / Imfinzi / Liver Cancer / AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca has reported positive high-level results from the HIMALAYA Phase III trial showed a single, high priming dose of tremelimumab added to Imfinzi™ (durvalumab) demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful overall survival (OS) benefit versus sorafenib as a first-line treatment for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who had not received prior systemic therapy and were not eligible for localised treatment.
‘Virtually painless’ needle-free injections developed in Netherlands
October 13, 2021 / Needle-free Injections / Vaccine
Researchers in the Netherlands are developing laser technology to enable “virtually painless” injections without needles in what they call a breakthrough that will ease fear and lower the threshold for vaccinations.
// Politics
Eli Lilly says legislation to address drug prices would hurt its current, future operations
October 14, 2021 / Eli Lilly / Legislation / Drug Pricing / U.S. Congress
Congress is debating the Democratic proposal, H.R.3, that would allow the federal government to negotiate prescription drug prices in an effort to lower costs. Eli Lilly chairman and CEO Dave Ricks said it would hurt current and future investments, including in Indiana.
EU Health: MEPs call for a future-proof EU pharmaceutical policy
October 15, 2021 / EU Health / Pharma Policy
The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) adopted on Tuesday, with 62 votes in favour, eight against and eight abstentions, its recommendations on the implementation of the EU’s pharmaceutical strategy and upcoming revisions to the legislative framework.
Kaiser Family Foundation: Public not buying pharma’s arguments over drug price reforms
October 12, 2021 / Drug Prices / Medicare Part B / Medicare Part D / Congress
A vast majority of the public rejected a common argument from the pharmaceutical industry that high drug prices are needed to fund more innovative products, a new poll finds.
HEALTH CARE BRIEFING: Mental Health Coverage Flaw Fines Targeted
October 14, 2021 / Mental Health / Bloomberg Government
Tucked into a once-$3.5 trillion domestic spending package is a provision empowering the government to fine health plans and employers that violate federal laws requiring access to mental health care that’s on par with other medical care. Health plans now get cited for violating the law and agree to come into compliance and reimburse beneficiaries.