Pharma News

Scientists at the National Eye Institute (NEI) have found that neurons in the superior colliculus, an ancient midbrain structure found in all vertebrates, are key players in allowing us to detect visual objects and events. This structure doesn’t help us recognize what the specific object or event is; instead, it’s the part of the brain that decides something is there at all. By comparing brain activity recorded from the right and left superior colliculi at the same time, the researchers were able to predict whether an animal was seeing an event. The findings were published  in the journal Nature Neuroscience. NEI is part of the National Institutes of Health.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration  granted accelerated approval to Vitrakvi (larotrectinib), a treatment for adult and pediatric patients whose cancers have a specific genetic feature (biomarker).

The Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)  announced that a randomized control trial has begun to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of drugs used in the treatment of Ebola patients. The trial is the first-ever multi drug trial for an Ebola treatment. It will form part of a multi-outbreak, multi-country study that was agreed to by partners under a World Health Organization (WHO) initiative.

EMA and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are organising a workshop on 26 November 2018 to discuss how regulators can better guide and support medicine developers in generating quality and manufacturing data packages in the context of development support programmes, such as the PRIority MEdicines scheme (PRIME) in the EU and Breakthrough Therapy designation programme in the US. The goal is to help patients to benefit as early as possible from these therapies that target serious or life-threatening diseases or unmet medical needs.

Lupin announced the launch of a chatbot named ‘ANYA’ specially designed to provide medically verified information for health-related queries. ANYA is the first bot of its kind to be launched in India for disease awareness. It’s a made in India for India initiative aimed at answering patient queries related to ailments.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the establishment of an Allied and Healthcare Council of India and corresponding State Allied and Healthcare Councils which will play the role of standard-setters and facilitators for professions of Allied and Healthcare. Thanking the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for his visionary leadership and constant guidance, Shri Nadda said that he is grateful to the Prime Minister for approving a landmark legislation which will provide employment opportunities to millions of youth in the country and will help standardize allied healthcare.

Dr Tedros commended the fruitful cooperation between the Commission and WHO, particularly in the fields of antimicrobial resistance, strengthening health systems and preparedness for outbreaks of communicable diseases in developing countries. President Juncker confirmed the support of the European Commission to the Global Action Plan on Health and Well Being to accelerate progress  to achieve Sustainable Development Goals, including goal number 3, related to healthy lives and well-being at all ages.

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.

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