Dive Brief: A new type of pain medication from Vertex Pharmaceuticals succeeded in a Phase 2 study of patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, boosting the company’s shares on Wednesday. Researchers tested three doses of the drug, dubbed VX-548, along with an approved treatment known as pregabalin that’s sold under the brand name Lyrica. Patients in…
European drug reviewers appear likely to recommend against clearing a new medicine from Apellis Pharmaceuticals in another stumble for a first-of-its-kind treatment the Food and Drug Administration approved earlier this year. In a statement Thursday, Apellis said it’s been informed of a “negative trend” vote on its application for the drug, sold in the U.S….
Dive Brief: Days after winning U.S. approval of the first CRISPR gene-editing medicine, Vertex Pharmaceuticals is clearing up potential intellectual property questions about the sickle cell disease therapy by signing a deal with Editas Medicine. In return for a non-exclusive license to use the gene editing technology in the treatment, Editas will receive $50 million…
Amgen has a new top scientist, announcing Thursday the appointment of Novartis veteran and prolific biotechnology startup founder Jay Bradner alongside another change to its leadership team. Bradner led the Novartis Institutes of BioMedical Research — the Swiss pharmaceutical giant’s Cambridge, Massachusetts-based research hub — from 2016 until last year. Now at Amgen, he’s serving…
The committee that recommends whether drugs should be approved in Europe has thrown its support behind the first medicine based on CRISPR gene editing technology, issuing on Friday a positive opinion of the treatment, known as Casgvey. The committee’s decision positions Casgevy, a blood disease therapy developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals and CRISPR Therapeutics, to likely…
Dive Brief: The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday broadened use of a drug Merck & Co. acquired in a $1 billion buyout four years ago, clearing Welireg for use in people whose kidney tumors have progressed following treatment with two other types of medicines. Approval was based on a trial that compared Welireg to an…
Dive Brief: An experimental cancer vaccine from Moderna and Merck & Co. continued to show promise in treating melanoma, with newly released evidence showing that a combination of the shot and the immunotherapy Keytruda kept more people alive and disease-free three years after surgery than Keytruda alone, the companies said Thursday. The updated data, from…
Dive Brief: Vir Biotechnology on Thursday announced a restructuring that will result in a 12% reduction in its workforce as well as the closure of some of its research and development facilities. The company said the restructuring will help prioritize investments in key drugs in development for chronic hepatitis delta and hepatitis B. Data from…
The U.S. Supreme Court announced Wednesday it will review a lower-court ruling that would restrict access to the widely used abortion pill mifepristone, bringing a high-profile battle over reproductive rights back to the same court that overturned Roe v. Wade last year. The court will hear appeals from the Biden Administration and mifepristone developer Danco Laboratories…
Pfizer on Wednesday upped the target for its cost-cutting program, revealing the additional spending cuts alongside a sales forecast for 2024 that disappointed Wall Street analysts and sent shares down to their lowest levels in more than a decade. Pfizer said it now aims to save $4 billion by the end of next year, $500…
