// Biotech and Pharma Therapeutics
Eli Lilly expands innovation reach with another global Gateway Lab, this time in China
October 15, 2024 / Eli Lily China Expansion / Medical Innovation Center / Lilly Gateway Labs / Partnerships / Drug Development Innovations
Eli Lilly is expanding its innovation footprint in China by opening the Eli Lilly China Medical Innovation Center and Lilly Gateway Labs in Beijing, fostering partnerships with biotech startups to accelerate drug development and patient access to breakthrough therapies.
Babyscripts, Lyft to Provide Free Rides to Maternity Care Appts
October 15, 2024 / Maternity Care / Maternity Care Access / Women’s Health
Babyscripts has partnered with Lyft to provide free rides to maternity care appointments in Washington D.C., addressing transportation insecurity and improving access to essential care for pregnant women, particularly those in underserved communities facing health disparities.
Effective and Lasting Hospital-at-Home Solutions Require Intentional Innovation and Design
October 15, 2024 / Hospital-at-home care / Virtual Care Solutions / Healthcare Innovation Strategies
Effective hospital-at-home solutions require careful planning, strong collaboration, and continuous adaptation. These programs improve patient outcomes, address healthcare capacity issues, and are essential as the U.S. faces an aging population and increasing healthcare demands.
Finding the Cure for Data Interoperability in Value-Based Care
October 15, 2024 / Value-based Care / Healthcare Data Sharing / AI Healthcare Data Management
Data interoperability is crucial for the success of value-based care (VBC). AI-powered enterprise data management systems can centralize fragmented healthcare data, improving communication, decision-making, and care coordination, while supporting the shift from fee-for-service to VBC models.
11 experts on why gains in cardiovascular disease are stalling and what we can do about it
October 15, 2024 / Cardiovascular Disease Prevention / High Blood Pressure Management / Heart Disease Mortality Trends / American Heart Association
Cardiovascular disease deaths decreased by 15%, short of the American Heart Association’s 20% goal. Experts cite challenges like high blood pressure, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation, emphasizing the need for improved prevention and management strategies.
// 4th Industrial Revolution
Emteq Labs Unveils World’s First Emotion-Sensing Eyewear for Health and Beyond
October 15, 2024 / AI Health Tracking / Mental Health Diagnostics / Smart Glasses Tech / Emotion Analysis
Emteq Labs is launching “”Sense,”” the first AI-powered emotion-sensing eyewear, which analyzes emotions, health metrics, and behaviors in real-time. Applications span healthcare, mental health monitoring, and augmented reality, with potential to improve diagnostics and personalized health tracking.
Headspace Introduces AI Companion To Support Patients Through ‘Ebbs and Flows’ of Life
October 15, 2024 / Headspace AI Companion / AI Mental Health Technology
Headspace launched “”Ebb,”” an AI companion designed to support users’ emotional self-reflection through motivational interviewing. While not offering mental health advice, Ebb provides personalized mindfulness recommendations to enhance emotional well-being for U.S. subscribers.
South Korea’s smart hospital concept: A focus on patients’ need and experience
October 13, 2024 / South Korea Smart Hospitals / Patient Centered Healthcare Innovation / Digital Health Transformation / Healthcare Operational Efficiency
South Korea’s smart hospital initiative, led by KHIDI, focuses on enhancing patient experience, healthcare quality, and operational efficiency. Utilizing digital technologies, it integrates hospitals into a connected ecosystem, improving care delivery across the country.
iCardio.ai gets FDA 510(k) clearance for AI echocardiography
October 15, 2024 / AI echocardiography software / FDA Clearence / iCardio.ai / AI Heart Disease Detection
iCardio.ai received FDA 510(k) clearance for its AI-powered EchoMeasure software, enabling automated echocardiographic interpretation. This technology enhances imaging workflows, reduces variability, and supports future algorithms for diagnosing heart disease, benefiting clinicians and patients alike.
Does AI make patient portal responses better? Depends on who you ask
October 15, 2024 / AI Patient Portals / Nurse AI Chatbot Efficiency / Physician Chatbot Skepticism / AI Healthcare Communication
A study in JAMA Network Open found that nurses favored AI chatbots for patient portal responses, citing improved efficiency and tone, while physicians were less positive, likely due to more complex patient inquiries requiring advanced clinical expertise.
// Business & Markets
Alchemy Secures $31M to Expand In-House Pharmacy Programs for Underserved HIV Communities
October 15, 2024 / Alchemy HIV Pharmacy Programs / HIV Medication Access / In-House Pharmacy Infrastructure / HIV
Alchemy secured $31M to expand in-house pharmacy programs for underserved HIV and Hepatitis C communities, improving access to medications through infrastructure, clinical programs, and technology, with a focus on Federally Qualified Health Centers and safety net clinics.
Hologic Shells out $350M for Gynesonics
October 15, 2024 /Hologic Gynesonics Acquisition / Sonata System / Women’s Health / Uterine fibroid treatment
Hologic plans to acquire Gynesonics for $350M, expanding its minimally invasive women’s health offerings with Gynesonics’ Sonata System for treating uterine fibroids. This acquisition enhances Hologic’s GYN surgical portfolio amid a slowdown in medtech M&A activity.
Pfizer taps Triana to discover molecular glues for cancer and beyond in deal potentially worth $1.5B
October 15, 2024 /Pfizer Molecular Glue Partnership / Cancer Molecurlar Glue Degraders / Triana Biomedicines Collaboration / Targeted Cancer Therapies
Pfizer is partnering with Triana Biomedicines to discover molecular glue degraders for cancer and other conditions. The deal includes $49 million upfront, with potential milestones exceeding $1.5 billion, advancing Pfizer’s efforts in targeted therapies.
Lilly plans $206 million boost to Chinese manufacturing
October 15, 2024 / Eli Lilly Suzhou Expansion / Type 2 Diabetes Drug / Trizepatide China Approval / Obesity Treatment
Eli Lilly is investing $206 million to expand its Suzhou, China facility to increase production of innovative treatments for type 2 diabetes and obesity, following Chinese approvals for tirzepatide, addressing rising patient demand.
Akeso raises $250 million to fuel global development
October 15, 2024 / Akeso Biopharma Fundraising / Drug Development / Clinical Trials / Cancer Therapy
Akeso Biopharma raised $250 million through a share placement to accelerate global clinical trials, particularly for its cancer therapies ivonescimab and cadonilimab. This brings its cash reserves to over $1 billion, supporting drug pipeline expansion.
// Legal & Regulatory
Novartis rounds off remibrutinib data package ahead of CSU filing
October 14, 2024 / Novartis / Chronic spontaneous urticaria treatment
Novartis presented 52-week Phase III data at EADV, showing remibrutinib significantly improved chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) symptoms compared to placebo. The Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor showed efficacy as early as week one, supporting its upcoming regulatory filing.
FDA, facing pressure, to review position on Zepbound, Mounjaro shortage
October 14, 2024 / FDA / Zepboung / Shortage
The Food and Drug Administration has temporarily deflected a lawsuit alleging it violated federal law by removing Eli Lilly’s obesity and diabetes drugs Zepbound and Mounjaro from an agency shortage list. But in the process, the regulator agreed to evaluate objections from the companies selling compounded copycats of Lilly’s fast-selling medicines.
Astella’s iota receives FDA go-ahead for bladder implant trial
October 14, 2024 / FDA / Lota Bioscience / Astellas Pharma
Astellas Pharma subsidiary, iota Biosciences, has won an investigational device exemption (IDE) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct a trial evaluating its implantable device for the treatment of underactive bladder. The IDE is for an early feasibility study to test the device in patients with the voiding disorder that affects 28% of men over 50 with lower urinary tract symptoms and 45% of older women. According to iota, the FDA has given approval for the study which allows a portion of the trial to start whilst outstanding questions are answered concurrently with enrolment.
Vanda, despite FDA rejection, swats down another buyout bid from Cycle
October 14, 2024 / Vanda Pharma / Buyouts / Hetlioz / Fanapt
The FDA’s rejection of Vanda Pharmaceuticals’ stomach disease candidate has done little to dampen the enthusiasm of England’s Cycle Pharmaceuticals to acquire the Washington D.C.-based company.
In win for compounders, FDA will review its decision to put Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide on shortage list
October 14, 2024 / Eli Lilly / Compounding / Tirzepatide / FDA
Four days after a compounding industry group filed a lawsuit against the FDA for removing Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide products from its shortage list, the U.S. regulator is taking a second look at its decision.
// Research & Development
Gene therapy automatically converts omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in the body
October 14, 2024 / Gene Therapy / CDC
According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 20% of children and teens are considered obese. Research shows it can have a dramatic impact on a variety of health conditions, including arthritis, heart conditions and other metabolic problems, and the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends early and intensive treatment to combat obesity. Over the last four years, Shriners Children’s St. Louis researchers have been working to develop a new way to prevent the effects of childhood obesity.
On Heels of Positive Parkinson’s Gene Therapy Data, MeiraGTx Looks Ahead to Pivotal Test
October 15, 2024 / Gene Therapy / Parkinson’s / MeiraGTx
A MeiraGTx Holdings gene therapy for Parkinson’s disease has preliminary data from a small clinical trial showing the one-time treatment showed both safety and efficacy, results that lay the groundwork for discussions with regulators about a Phase 3 study.
Genentech’s Evrysdi helped babies with SMA reach rare milestones in Phase II trial
October 14, 2024 / Genentech / SMA / Rainbowfish Trial
The Rainbowfish trial (NCT03779334), run by the Roche subsidiary Genentech, enrolled babies aged from birth to six weeks who had not yet shown symptoms of SMA. After two years, all 26 children were able to swallow and feed orally, and none required permanent ventilation. This is a significant contrast to untreated Type 1 SMA, where children would typically not reach these milestones and rarely survive past two years old, according to natural history studies.
Transgene cervical cancer shot misses the mark in phase 2
October 15, 2024 / Cervical Cancer / Chemotherapy / Immunotherapy
The French biotech’s study of TG4001 (tipapkinogen sovacivec) involved patients with recurrent or metastatic HPV16-positive cervical and anogenital tumours who were either treatment-naïve or had one prior systemic chemotherapy, but no earlier immunotherapy. It compared the vaccine in combination with Merck KGaA’s PD-L1 inhibitor Bavencio (avelumab) to Bavencio alone.
J&J, with adult approval in sight, posts adolescent myasthenia gravis data on $6.5B FcRn blocker
October 15, 2024 / Johnson & Johnson / Myasthenia Gravis / Pediatric / Biotech
Johnson & Johnson has burnished the evidence for nipocalimab, adding a sliver of data in adolescents with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) to the growing case for its near-approval FcRn blocker.
// Politics
As election day nears, Trump and Harris veer in different directions on pharma
October 15, 2024 / Trump / Harris / 2024 Election / IRA Provisions / Medicare
With just a few weeks left until the election, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are making their final appeals to the American public in their runs for the oval office. While Harris has sharpened her agenda, Trump has changed his stance on some of the pharma-targeting policies he previously supported.
With election nearing, BMO analysts don’t expect major pharma shake-ups from either candidate
October 14, 2024 / Inflation Reduction Act / Trump / Harris / 2024 Election
In less than a month, Americans will head to the polls—or vote by mail—and elect the next president of the U.S. With Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris vying for the White House, it’s looking like an election that’ll come down to the wire.
Sanofi Might Face Political Hurdles In $16B Consumer Pharma Unit Sale To US Private Equity CD&R
October 15, 2024 / Sanofi / Political Hurdles / Drug Shortages
The deal could be valued at about 15 billion euros ($16.4 billion), making it one of the largest European transactions this year. Sanofi is likely to retain a minority stake in the Opella business.
France’s government has hinted at the possibility of blocking the sale of Sanofi’s consumer pharmaceuticals division to CD&R, citing concerns over employment and national healthcare interests.
Senate passes Liberal, NDP bill to cover diabetes and birth control medication
October 10, 2024 / Senate / New Bill
The legislation will inform the creation of any future national, universal pharmacare plan.
It will also allow the government to sign deals with provinces and territories to cover diabetes and birth-control medications as part of the public health system.
“This is going to be truly transformative for millions of Canadians,” Health Minister Mark Holland said in a video posted on social media Thursday evening after the vote.
The wording and content of the bill was carefully negotiated as part of the now-defunct supply-and-confidence deal between the NDP and Liberals.
“This is something that Tommy Douglas always envisaged when he pushed for universal health care more than half a century ago,” NDP health critic Peter Julian said in an interview Thursday.
Further calls on government for SETU pharmacy decision
October 15, 2024 / SETU Pharmacy Decision / Higher Education
The motion called on Minister for Further and Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Patrick O’ Donovan, to make a “final determination on the new Pharmacy programme for South East Technological University before November 1, so that the new university course programme may be available to CAO applicants next year.”