Pharma News

Amgen announced that the company will discuss data supporting the ABP 501 Biologics License Application (BLA) with the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Arthritis Advisory Committee. ABP 501 is a biosimilar candidate to Humira (adalimumab), an anti-tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a) monoclonal antibody, which is approved in many regions for the treatment of several inflammatory diseases.

Cohera Medical, Inc., a leading innovator and developer of absorbable surgical adhesives and sealants, announced that it has received Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin a prospective, multicenter, randomized clinical trial for its Sylys® Surgical Sealant device.

InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. announced that Health Canada has approved the company’s Investigational Testing Authorization application to commence clinical studies in Canada. The authorization will allow the company to enroll Canadian patients into the ongoing INSPIRE study once a Canadian site is open for enrollment. InVivo currently is in late stage conversation with various Canadian Research Ethics Boards and expects to announce its first Canadian site in the coming weeks.

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iBio, Inc. a leading provider of plant-based biotechnology for developing and manufacturing biological products, announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation to iBio's investigational biotherapeutic product, iBio-CFB03, for the treatment of systemic sclerosis.

Medtronic plc has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the IN.PACT Admiral drug-coated balloon (DCB) in longer, 150 mm lengths. The new 150 mm length balloon, available in four, five, and six mm diameters, will provide greater treatment options for long lesions in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD).

Bacteria are rapidly developing resistance mechanisms to combat even the most effective antibiotics. Each year in the United States over 23,000 people die as a result of bacterial infections that have no treatment options, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Infections with antibiotic-resistance bacteria are extremely difficult to treat, requiring costly or toxic medications that do not always work. Scientists are constantly working to understand the mechanisms bacteria use to outsmart antibiotics and develop resistance. These mechanisms include metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs), enzymes produced by bacteria that can bind to and inactivate antibiotics. Enzymes like MBLs are one way bacteria are defying all available tools and becoming antibiotic resistant.

Abbvie announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Rare Pediatric Disease Designation for ABT-414, an investigational antibody drug conjugate (ADC) targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), for the treatment of pediatric patients with EGFR-amplified Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), known to be highly aggressive and difficult to treat brain tumors found at the base of the brain.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first focused ultrasound device to treat essential tremor in patients who have not responded to medication. ExAblate Neuro uses magnetic resonance (MR) images taken during the procedure to deliver focused ultrasound to destroy brain tissue in a tiny area thought to be responsible for causing tremors. ExAblate Neuro is manufactured by InSightec in Dallas, Texas.

Shire plc announces that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Xiidra (lifitegrast ophthalmic solution) 5%, a twice-daily eye drop solution indicated for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease in adult patients. Xiidra is the only prescription eye drop indicated for the treatment of both signs and symptoms of this condition. Shire expects to launch Xiidra in the United States in the third quarter of 2016.