The biopharma industry lauded the first steps the Australian government has taken to widen access for drugs and devices via reforms to the current health technology assessment process that has remained unchanged for 30 years.
In keeping with federal standards for classifying race and ethnicity data, the U.S. FDA issued a draft revision to broaden its 2016 guidance on the collection of such data in clinical trials.
Becoming the first treatment for children ages 1 to 11 with eosinophilic esophagitis (EE), Sanofi SA and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s IL-4/IL-13 inhibitor Dupixent (dupilumab) was cleared by the U.S. FDA on Jan. 25.
Seoul-based Genexine Inc. filed a BLA to gain domestic approval of its follow-on biologic for chronic kidney disease (CKD)-induced anemia, Efesa (efepoetin alfa, GX-E4), to South Korean health regulators on Jan. 25.
After almost 10 years on the market, the EMA is to withdraw its conditional approval of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy treatment Translarna (ataluren), after concluding there is still not enough evidence of its effectiveness.
Final rules the U.S. SEC adopted Jan. 24 to beef up disclosure requirements and investor protection in initial public offerings by special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and de-SPAC transactions could be the death knell for the SPAC market. They also could open the door for the SEC to regulate companies like biopharma and med-tech startups as investment companies.
What’s the status of the U.S. FTC’s investigation into pharmacy benefit managers’ (PBMs) role in prescription drug prices? Inquiring minds in the Senate really want to know, especially since the investigation began more than 18 months ago. “We urge the FTC to complete its 6(b) study in a timely manner,” 14 senators, led by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), wrote in a Jan. 22 letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan.
Quality-of-life claims in a TV ad for breast cancer drug Kisqali (ribociclib) earned Novartis AG the first untitled letter of 2024 from the U.S. FDA’s Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (OPDP).
Making them an antibiotic of last resort, the U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency introduced new restrictions on the use of fluoroquinolones due to the risk of potentially long-term or irreversible side effects.
Jilin, China-based Huisheng Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd. gained China NMPA approval for Huiyoujing (proline janagliflozin tablets), its independently developed sodium glucose transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor for type 2 diabetes. The regulatory clearance, announced on Jan. 23, makes janagliflozin the second China-made SGLT2 inhibitor after Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Co. Ltd.’s henagliflozin (SHR-3824), which was launched domestically in May 2022.