USFDA

Quidel Corporation , a provider of rapid diagnostic testing solutions, cellular-based virology assays and molecular diagnostic systems, announced  that it has received 510(k) clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its Solana® HSV-1+2/VZV Assay for the qualitative detection and differentiation of herpes simplex virus type 1, herpes simplex virus type 2, and varicella-zoster virus DNA isolated and purified from cutaneous or mucocutaneous lesion samples obtained from symptomatic patients suspected of active herpes simplex virus 1, herpes simplex virus 2 and/or varicella-zoster infection.

PharmaCyte Biotech, Inc. a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on developing targeted treatments for cancer and diabetes using its signature live-cell encapsulation technology, Cell-in-a-Box®, announced that a Pre-Investigational New Drug (Pre-IND) meeting with the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been granted by the FDA. During the meeting with representatives from CBER, they will respond to PharmaCyte’s previously submitted questions to the FDA as part of a Pre-IND information package related to PharmaCyte’s clinical trial in locally advanced, inoperable pancreatic cancer (LAPC).

Pharma Major Lupin Limited (Lupin) announced  that its US subsidiary Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (LPI) has received final approval for its Armodafinil Tablets 50 mg, 150 mg, 200 mg and 250 mg from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market a generic version of Cephalon, Inc’s Nuvigil® Tablets 50 mg, 150 mg, 200 mg and 250 mg. LPI shall commence promoting the product in the US shortly.

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PhaseRx, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing mRNA treatments for life-threatening inherited liver diseases in children, announced that its lead candidate, PRX-OTC, which is being developed for the treatment of ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD), has received orphan drug designation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

EMD Serono Inc., the biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in the US and Canada, and Pfizer Inc. announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for Priority Review EMD Serono's Biologics License Application (BLA) for avelumab. This review relates to avelumab's proposed use in patients with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), based on tumor response results from the JAVELIN Merkel 200 trial. Avelumab is an investigational fully human anti-PD-L1 IgG1 monoclonal antibody and could be the first treatment indicated for metastatic MCC in the US, if approved. MCC is a rare and aggressive skin cancer, which impacts approximately 2,500 Americans a year.

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc.  announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Iclusig® (ponatinib) full approval for the treatment of adult patients with chronic phase, accelerated phase, or blast phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) or Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) for whom no other tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy is indicated; and for the treatment of adult patients with T315I-positive CML (chronic phase, accelerated phase, or blast phase) or T315I positive Ph+ ALL. Iclusig was initially approved in December 2012 under the FDA’s accelerated approval program, which provides patients earlier access to promising new drugs that treat serious conditions based on a surrogate endpoint while the company conducts additional studies to confirm the drug’s clinical benefit. The therapy was granted the FDA’s orphan drug designation because it is intended to treat a rare disease or condition.

GlaxoSmithKline plc and Innoviva, Inc. announced the filing by GSK of a regulatory submission with the US Food and Drug Administration for the once-daily, closed triple combination therapy fluticasone furoate/umeclidinium/vilanterol (FF/UMEC/VI 100/62.5/25 mcg) for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This follows the announcement earlier this year of plans to bring forward the timing of the US filing from the first half of 2018.

Sanofi announced  that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved once-daily Soliqua™ 100/33 (insulin glargine & lixisenatide injection) 100 Units/mL & 33 mcg/mL for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on basal insulin (less than 60 Units daily) or lixisenatide.

Allergan plc  announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the XEN® Glaucoma Treatment System (consisting of the XEN45 Gel Stent and the XEN Injector) for use in the U.S. The XEN Glaucoma Treatment System reduces intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients and is indicated for the management of refractory glaucomas, where previous surgical treatment has failed or in patients with primary open angle glaucoma, and pseudoexfoliative or pigmentary glaucoma with open angles that are unresponsive to maximum tolerated medical therapy. XEN is implanted through an ab interno approach and reduces IOP by creating a new drainage channel with a permanent implant that becomes flexible. This provides a new treatment option for the millions of Americans with refractory glaucoma.

Oragenics announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation to AG013, the Company’s lead therapeutic candidate for the treatment of OM. Oragenics expects to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) update and initiate a Phase 2 study with AG013 in the United States and Europe in early 2017.