FDA
With CBER director Vinay Prasad set to depart the agency at the end of the month, a coalition of patient groups and biotech executives penned a letter imploring the Trump administration to “restore regulatory clarity” for rare disease therapies. Experts on a BioSpace panel last week also acknowledged the challenges faced by a more stringent FDA.
Drug discovery can be an uphill battle, especially lately given recent upheaval at the FDA and muted investment activity. BioSpace spoke to four industry executives about key issues facing those working in this space, starting with planning around uncertainty.
The FDA approved Eli Lilly’s orforglipron—to be known as Foundayo—on Wednesday, officially igniting what analysts believe will be a fierce rivalry with Novo Nordisk’s oral Wegovy.
Biogen, Eli Lilly, Merck and Novartis spent more than $20 billion to absorb biotechs with promising or approved drugs; the rare disease space notched approvals for therapies from Denali Therapeutics, Rocket Pharmaceuticals and Biogen; and Wave’s stock lost half its value after its RNA-based obesity candidate failed to impress investors.
The FDA rejected the high-dose regimen of Spinraza in September last year due to manufacturing concerns.
The FDA has some big verdicts lined up in the second quarter, including one for a closely watched obesity drug that many anticipate will further intensify competition in weight loss.
Watch this critical discussion on how regulators and biotech companies can bridge the expectation gap during the regulatory review process to ensure novel therapies reach patients in a timely manner—because patients don’t have time to wait.
While the accelerated approval unlocks only a small market opportunity for Rocket Pharmaceuticals, it will give the biotech a chance to prepare for future product launches, according to Jefferies.
Avlayah is the first Hunter syndrome therapy approved to address the condition’s neurologic complications, according to Tracy Beth Høeg, acting director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
While ersodetug missed the Phase 3 primary endpoint of a reduction in hypoglycemia events, Rezolute argued that this goal was confounded in part by behavioral factors. The FDA acknowledged the validity of this argument.
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