Rare diseases
The company’s technology, a modified herpes simplex virus used to deliver gene therapies, was given the FDA’s new designation based on its approved topical skin cream. What this will mean for Krystal’s still-in-development eye drop is unclear.
Glaukos’ Epioxa allows cross-linking therapy for keratoconus without requiring an incision. The biotech expects to launch the drug early next year.
Novo Nordisk strikes another deal, this time with Omeros, amid a broader pipeline restructuring that recently claimed its cell therapy work.
Despite announcing a broad pivot to siRNA earlier this year, Sarepta is following through with an investigational gene therapy: its limb-girdle muscular dystrophy candidate. But the treatment’s path forward, analysts say, is highly uncertain.
The acquisition will give BioCryst an investigational injectable drug for hereditary angioedema, potentially complementing its FDA-approved oral drug Orladeyo.
Therapies from industry leaders BioMarin and Ascendis Pharma supply a key hormone that promotes bone growth. In order to move the field forward, challengers are looking to address the underlying cause of the rare, genetic disease.
New analysis from Jefferies shows that rare disease and cancer drugs granted the status are especially likely to be approved.
The U.S. government remains shut down, with the FDA closed for new drug applications until further notice; cell and gene therapy leaders gather for the annual meeting in Phoenix with the field in a state of flux; Pfizer and Amgen will make drugs available at a discount as President Donald Trump’s tariffs still loom; and new regulatory documents show how Pfizer beat out the competition for Metsera.
Rocket Pharmaceuticals’ strategic realignment initiative in July pulled funding from fanca-cel, which the biotech was developing for Fanconi anemia.
The centerpiece of the collaboration is the gene editor ABO-101, being developed for primary hyperoxaluria type 1, a rare disease that leads to severe kidney stones.
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