Pharma News

MiMedx Group, Inc., the leading regenerative medicine company utilizing human amniotic tissue and patent-protected processes to develop and market advanced products and therapies for the wound care, surgical, orthopedic, spine, sports medicine, ophthalmic, and dental sectors of healthcare, announced that the company's EpiFix product has received coverage from insurer Aetna Inc. effective December 23, 2016.

Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced the sale of US rights to Keveyis (dichlorphenamide) to Strongbridge Biopharma plc (Strongbridge), a global commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of therapies for rare diseases with significant unmet need. Keveyis was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (the FDA) in August 2015 to treat primary hyperkalemic and hypokalemic periodic paralysis, a group of rare hereditary disorders that cause episodes of muscle weakness or paralysis. Keveyis has orphan designation status through August 2022.

Seattle Genetics, Inc. announced that it has received notice from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that a clinical hold or partial clinical hold has been placed on several early stage trials of vadastuximab talirine (SGN-CD33A) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The clinical holds were initiated to evaluate the potential risk of hepatotoxicity in patients who were treated with SGN-CD33A and received allogeneic stem cell transplant either before or after treatment. Six patients have been identified with hepatotoxicity, including several cases of veno-occlusive disease, with four fatal events. Overall, more than 300 patients have been treated with SGN-CD33A in clinical trials across multiple treatment settings. Seattle Genetics is working diligently with the FDA to determine whether there is any association between hepatotoxicity and treatment with SGN-CD33A, to promptly identify appropriate protocol amendments for patient safety and to enable continuation of these trials.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, a biopharmaceutical company, has entered into a worldwide license agreement with Ono Pharmaceutical CoL, ltd. Under the license, Ono will be able to use the OmniRat, OmniMouse and OmniFlic platforms to discover fully human mono- and bispecific antibodies.  Ligand is eligible to receive annual platform access payments, development milestone payments and royalties for each product incorporating an OmniAb antibody. Ono will be responsible for all costs related to the programmes.

Pfizer Inc. announced that it has completed the acquisition of the development and commercialization rights to AstraZeneca’s late-stage small molecule anti-infective business, primarily outside the United States. The agreement includes the commercialization and development rights to the newly approved EU drug Zavicefta (ceftazidime-avibactam), the marketed agents Merrem/Meronem (meropenem) and Zinforo (ceftaroline fosamil), and the clinical development assets aztreonam-avibactam (ATM-AVI) and CXL. Zavicefta specifically addresses certain multi-drug resistant Gram-negative infections, including those resistant to carbapenem antibiotics, one of the most significant unmet medical needs in bacterial infections treated with hospital anti-infectives.

Mithra Pharmaceuticals, a company focused on women’s health, announces that it obtained 14 Marketing Authorizations for the commercialization of its product Tibelia in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Norway, Sweden and Finland. Mithra is still waiting for 3 MA in France, Greece and Italy that should be received by the beginning of 2017. The product based on tibolone developed by Mithra will be more competitive due to its extended shelf-life.

Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. (Biohaven), a privately-held biopharmaceutical company, has enrolled the first patient in its potentially pivotal phase 2b/3 clinical trial assessing the efficacy and safety of its drug candidate BHV-4157 in patients with hereditary spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA).

BioCardia, Inc, a leader in the development of comprehensive solutions for cardiovascular regenerative therapies, with clinical programs in heart failure and sub-acute infarction, announced the issuance of United States Patent No. 9,517,199 relating to a method of delivering cells to patients who have chronic myocardial infarcts.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved  Biogen’s SPINRAZA™ (nusinersen) under Priority Review for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in pediatric and adult patients. SPINRAZA is the first and only treatment approved in the U.S. for SMA, a leading genetic cause of death in infants and toddlers that is marked by progressive, debilitating muscle weakness.