Industry News

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company announced that the Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will review data included in ACADIA’s New Drug Application (NDA) for NUPLAZID™ (pimavanserin) for the treatment of psychosis associated with Parkinson’s disease.

Allergan plc  announced that it has entered into a global agreement with AstraZeneca to develop and commercialize ATM-AVI, an investigational, fixed-dose antibiotic combining aztreonam and avibactam. Together, the two companies will evaluate the combination to treat serious infections caused by metallo βlactamase MBL-producing Gram-negative pathogens, a difficult-to-treat sub-type of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), for which there are currently very limited treatments, thus presenting a new treatment option for patients with MBL-producing pathogens. Under the terms of the agreement, Allergan will maintain commercialization rights in the U.S. and Canada and AstraZeneca will maintain commercialization rights in all other countries.

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, announced  that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ZEMBRACE™SymTouch™ (sumatriptan succinate) injection, a drug-device combination product intended for the treatment of acute migraine episodes, with or without aura, in adults who are inadequately managed with existing treatment regimens. ZEMBRACESymTouch is available as a prefilled, ready-to-use, single-dose disposable autoinjector containing 3 mg of sumatriptan, a selective 5-HT1B/ID receptor agonist. The injection is intended to be given subcutaneously.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration  approved Halaven (eribulin mesylate), a type of chemotherapy, for the treatment of liposarcoma (a specific type of soft tissue sarcoma) that cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable) or is advanced (metastatic). This treatment is approved for patients who received prior chemotherapy that contained an anthracycline drug. Halaven is marketed by Eisai based in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) today announced three new awards to support the Government of India’s efforts to end tuberculosis (TB) in India.

AbbVie , in cooperation with Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. announced the initiation of the first of two planned Phase 3 clinical studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of Elagolix alone or in combination with add-back therapy compared to placebo.

OptiNose, a privately-held specialty biopharmaceutical company, announced that its licensing partner, Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has reported that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved ONZETRA™ Xsail™ (sumatriptan nasal powder), formerly AVP-825, for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura in adults. ONZETRA Xsail is the first product developed by OptiNose to receive FDA approval and is an intranasal medication delivery system using the novel Xsail Breath Powered Delivery Device.

Drug development company SCYNEXIS, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted both Fast Track and Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) designations for the intravenous (IV) formulation of SCY-078, SCYNEXIS' novel antifungal product, for the indications of invasive candidiasis (including candidemia) and invasive aspergillosis. SCYNEXIS is currently conducting a Phase 1 study of the IV formulation of SCY-078 to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of single-rising doses. The FDA granted QIDP and Fast Track designations for the oral formulation of SCY-078 for both the treatment of invasive candidiasis and invasive aspergillosis in 2014. The oral formulation is currently in Phase 2 development for both invasive candidiasis and vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Theravance Biopharma, Inc. announced the commercial launch of VIBATIV® (telavancin) in Canada. VIBATIV is a bactericidal, once-daily antibiotic with in vitro potency and a dual mechanism of action against Gram-positive bacteria, including difficult-to-treat pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).