Pharma News

Portola Pharmaceuticals announced  that the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the Biologics License Application (BLA) for andexanet alfa for filing under a priority review. Portola submitted the BLA in December 2015 under an Accelerated Approval pathway. The FDA is expected to take action on the application by the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date of August 17, 2016.

Roche announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the investigational medicine ocrelizumab (OCREVUSTM) for the treatment of people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). There are currently no approved treatments for PPMS, a debilitating form of MS characterised by steadily worsening symptoms and typically without distinct relapses or periods of remission.

India will for the first time host the International Congress on Infectious Diseases (ICID), which aims to discuss a slew of infections-related healthcare challenges relevant to the country and growing in importance globally.

New fathers please take note! Men who are stressed can put their children at an increased risk of diabetes, an interesting study has found.

Abbott announced that it has received approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia for its FreeStyle® Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System, a revolutionary new glucose sensing technology for insulin-using Australians with diabetes. The system eliminates the need for routine finger pricks1, reading glucose levels through a sensor that can be worn on the back of the upper arm for up to 14 days. In addition, no finger prick calibration is needed  a key differentiator from current continuous glucose monitoring systems.

AstraZeneca and MedImmune, its global biologics research and development arm, announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation (BTD) for durvalumab (MEDI4736), an investigational human monoclonal antibody directed against programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1), for the treatment of patients with PD-L1 positive inoperable or metastatic urothelial bladder cancer whose tumour has progressed during or after one standard platinum-based regimen.

Medtronic plc announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Medtronic Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Therapy for use in people with Parkinson's disease of at least four years duration and with recent onset of motor complications, or motor complications of longer-standing duration that are not adequately controlled with medication. In 2002, the FDA initially approved Medtronic DBS Therapy for use in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease. Medtronic DBS has demonstrated improvement in motor complications, quality of life, activities of daily living and reduction in medication usage in individuals with Parkinson's disease.

A new treatment for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) has been found to protect mice from infection, according to a study.MERS, a disease that can cause severe respiratory symptoms and has a death rate of 40 percent, has killed nearly 600 people since it was first discovered four years ago in Saudi Arabia.

A drug used for Type-2 diabetes may prevent recurrent stroke and heart attacks in people with insulin resistance but without diabetes, new research has found.