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Brandon May

Kena Betancur/Getty Images
Bio NC
The Fight Continues as Therapies for COVID-19 Race Through Development
While modern-day science has provided the world with highly effective vaccines to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have had less luck finding effective treatment options for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
July 27, 2021
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3 min read
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Brandon May
Courtesy nitpicker/Shutterstock
Drug Development
BMS Withdraws Opdivo Liver Cancer Indication Following FDA Meeting
Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) announced Friday its decision to withdraw from the U.S. market the indication for its immune checkpoint inhibitor Opdivo® (nivolumab) as monotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients previously treated with sorafenib.
July 26, 2021
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2 min read
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Brandon May
Pictured: Stack of coins/Courtesy Getty Images
Business
Kodiak Turns Down $125 Million Milestone Payment, Reducing Royalty Cap by Half
Kodiak Sciences, an ophthalmology-focused biotech company, based in Palo Alto, Calif., reportedly turned down $125 million from Baker Bros after hitting a clinical milestone. The company’s decision to decline this funding was due in part to its “strong balance sheet” and “clinical trial progress.”
July 26, 2021
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2 min read
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Brandon May
BioMarin HQ/courtesy of BioMarin
Drug Development
New Trial Data Call into Question Long-Term Efficacy of BioMarin’s Hemophilia A Gene Therapy
Updated trial data show patients treated with BioMarin Pharmaceutical’s severe hemophilia A gene therapy expressed substantially lower factor VIII levels after five years compared with one year, calling into question the drug’s long-term benefits.
July 23, 2021
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2 min read
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Brandon May
Policy
Judge Orders Novartis to Cough Up $178 Million to Plexxikon Over Patent Infringements
Novartis claimed the patents held by Plexxikon were invalid. Unfortunately for the company, the jury found it was unable to prove these claims.
July 23, 2021
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2 min read
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Brandon May
Kenneth Frazier, Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Business
Ken Frazier Joins Investment Firm to Focus on Health Assurance Initiatives
Merck’s former chief executive officer and current executive chairman, Kenneth Frazier, has stepped down from his post at the pharmaceutical company to join venture capital firm General Catalyst as its newest chairman of health assurance initiatives.
July 22, 2021
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2 min read
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Brandon May
Business
Slingshot Launches with $23 Million for Synthetic Cell Products
Biotech company Slingshot Biosciences announced Thursday it had closed a $23 million Series A financing round led by Northpond Ventures.
July 22, 2021
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2 min read
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Brandon May
Drug Development
FDA Gives OK for Viracta’s Phase Ib/II Trial of Oral Combo in Epstein-Barr Virus Tumors
The study will also investigate the oral combination with PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab in EBV+ metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (RM-NPC).
July 21, 2021
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3 min read
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Brandon May
JHVEPhoto/GettyImages
FDA
FDA Grants Breakthrough Device Designations to Endologix and NeuroMetrix
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recently granted Breakthrough Device Designation to two medical device companies, with California-based healthcare tech company Endologix leading the mix.
July 21, 2021
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2 min read
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Brandon May
Drug Development
Statins Reduce Risk of COVID-19-Related Death by 41%, Study Finds
A new study has found that statins, a popular class of cholesterol-lowering drugs, may decrease the odds of dying from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by 41% and reduce the risk of severe disease.
July 20, 2021
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2 min read
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Brandon May
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
FDA
Excessive Impurities Cause Recall of Pfizer’s Anti-Smoking Drug
Pfizer has voluntarily recalled two lots of Chantix 0.5 mg tablets, two lots of Chantix 1 mg tablets, and eight lots of a Chantix kit consisting of 0.5mg/1 mg tablets.
July 20, 2021
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2 min read
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Brandon May
Courtesy of Michael Vi/Getty Images
Drug Development
Genentech Hemophilia A Drug Displays Long-term Safety, Efficacy
Genentech’s Hemlibra showed no new safety signals and continued to deliver consistent bleeding control in the final analysis of a long-term, late-stage hemophilia A study.
July 19, 2021
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3 min read
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Brandon May
Business
Muna Therapeutics Raises $73 Million to Advance Neurodegenerative Disease Focus
The company launches with the new funding to advance its focus on first-in-class small molecule therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.
July 9, 2021
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2 min read
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Brandon May
Business
Agenus Sets Sights on New California Site Near Genentech
Agenus, an immuno-oncology company based out of Lexington, Mass., has purchased a 120-acre plot of land near Genentech’s manufacturing facility in Vacaville, Cali.
July 8, 2021
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2 min read
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Brandon May
VCG/VCG via Getty Images
Drug Development
Despite Mixed Data, Sinovac’s COVID-19 Vaccine is Second Most Used Globally
Sinovac’s CoronaVac was the first COVID-19 vaccine approved in China for emergency use back in June 2020.
July 8, 2021
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2 min read
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Brandon May
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