November 2018

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Daurismo (glasdegib) tablets to be used in combination with low-dose cytarabine (LDAC), a type of chemotherapy, for the treatment of newly-diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in adults who are 75 years of age or older or who have other chronic health conditions or diseases (comorbidities) that may preclude the use of intensive chemotherapy.

The European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended granting a marketing authorisation for the gene therapy Luxturna (voretigene neparvovec), for the treatment of adults and children suffering from inherited retinal dystrophy caused by RPE65 gene mutations, a rare genetic disorder which causes vision loss and usually leads to blindness.

The European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended granting a marketing authorisation for Vabomere (meropenem trihydrate/vaborbactam), a new treatment option against the following infections in adults: Complicated urinary tract infection, including pyelonephritis, a sudden and severe infection causing the kidneys to swell and which may permanently damage them; Complicated intra-abdominal infection; Hospital-acquired pneumonia, including ventilator associated pneumonia; Bacteria in the blood associated with any of the infections listed above; Infections due to aerobic Gram-negative organisms in adults with limited treatment options.

The European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended granting a marketing authorisation for Emgality (galcanezumab), a monoclonal antibody for the prevention of migraine. Emgality belongs to a new class of medicines that work by blocking the activity of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a molecule that is involved in migraine attacks.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Gamifant (emapalumab-lzsg) for the treatment of pediatric (newborn and above) and adult patients with primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) who have refractory, recurrent or progressive disease or intolerance with conventional HLH therapy. This FDA approval is the first for a drug specifically for HLH.

National Institutes of Health scientists and their colleagues have found evidence of the infectious agent of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in the eyes of deceased CJD patients. The finding suggests that the eye may be a source for early CJD diagnosis and raises questions about the safety of routine eye exams and corneal transplants. Sporadic CJD, a fatal neurodegenerative prion disease of humans, is untreatable and difficult to diagnose.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration posted warning letter  issued to two companies for the illegal marketing of products labeled as dietary supplements that contain tianeptine, a chemical compound that companies are illegally claiming treats opioid use disorder (OUD), pain and anxiety, and other unlawful and unproven claims. These actions follow reports to the FDA of serious adverse events associated with the use of products containing tianeptine.

We’re excited to partner with HITLAB – a leading NYC-based digital health innovation, teaching, and testing lab – for their upcoming 2019 HITLAB Innovators Summit: India on February 16,  at IIT Delhi.