Industry News
USP Developing mRNA Quality Guidelines to Help Bring Innovative Medicines to Market Faster
USP is developing mRNA quality guidelines to help companies and regulators bring innovative medicines to market faster.
Valneva Awarded R&D Funding by Scottish Enterprise for Vaccine Development
Scottish Enterprise has awarded £20 million (US$27 million) to Valneva Scotland to advance vaccine development.
Alvea to Develop New DNA Vaccine Against SARS-CoV-2 Variants
Alvea has begun preclinical testing of a scalable, shelf-stable DNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Sanofi and GSK to Seek Regulatory Authorization for COVID-19 Vaccine
Sanofi and GSK announce they are seeking regulatory authorization for COVID-19 vaccine.
Novavax Begins Shipping its COVID-19 Vaccine to European Union Member States
Novavax announces the first doses of Nuvaxovid COVID-19 vaccine have begun shipping to European Union member states.
Center for Breakthrough Medicines and BioAnalysis LLC Form Partnership to Offer Novel Analytical Testing Services for CGT Clients
The Center for Breakthrough Medicines and BioAnalysis LLC have formed a strategic alliance to offer novel analytical testing services for CGT clients.
Semarion Raises £2.14 Million GBP ($2.89 Million USD) Seed Funding
Semarion raises £2.14 million GBP (US$2.89 million) seed funding to support the commercial development of Semarion’s SemaCyte cell assaying platform.
European Medicines Regulatory Network Adopts EU Common Standard for Electric Product Information
The European Medicines Regulatory Network has adopted a Common Standard for the electronic product information on medicines in the European Union.
FDA Nixes Approvals Based Only on Foreign Data
FDA officials and their scientific advisors have come down hard on clinical development programs that rely on study results from a single foreign country, instead of from multi-regional trials following harmonized R&D standards.
Quotient Sciences Completes Integration of Drug Substance into Translational Pharmaceutics Platform
Quotient Sciences announces that it has integrated drug substance into its flagship Translational Pharmaceutics platform.
BioNTech Plans to Build Modular mRNA Manufacturing Facilities in Africa
The turnkey facilities will promote scalable vaccine production for an end-to-end manufacturing network for mRNA-based vaccines in Africa.
Health Canada Authorizes Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine
Health Canada authorizes Novavax COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 18 years of age and older.
PETA Science Group Shares Goals With New FDA Commissioner
PETA Science Consortium International e.V. and PETA scientist Jeffrey Brown share goals with new FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf.
EC Approves AstraZeneca’s Lupus Drug
The EC approved AstraZeneca’s Saphenlo (anifrolumab) for the treatment of active autoantibody-positive systemic lupus erythematosus.
FDA to Hold Public Symposium on Multi-Identification Biomarkers
FDA will hold a symposium discussing the identification of concepts and terminology for multi-component biomarkers from March 23–24, 2022.
FDA Grants Eli Lilly Drug EUA for Treatment of COVID-19
FDA has granted Eli Lilly and Company’s bebtelovimab, a monoclonal antibody designed for treatment of COVID-19, an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
New Medicines Recommendations Up in 2021, EMA States
The agency recommended 53 new active substances in 2021, up 35% from 2020.
EMA Investigating Reports of Menstrual Irregularities with COVID-19 Vaccines
The agency’s safety committee is assessing reported cases of period irregularities associated with Comirnaty and Spikevax mRNA vaccines.
EMA Updates Guidance on Risk Management Plans for COVID-19 Vaccines
Guidance published during the pandemic has been updated to include content requirements for summary safety reports.
Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine Gaining Regulatory Ground
Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine has received conditional marketing authorization from MHRA and provisional approval from Medsafe.
EMA Considers Adolescent Booster-Dose Application for Comirnaty
EMA has started its evaluation of an application for the use of a booster dose of Comirnaty in adolescents aged 12–15 years.
EMA Initiates DARWIN EU Coordination Centre
EMA has started the establishment of its Data Analysis and Real World Interrogation Network (DARWIN EU) Coordination Centre.
FDA Approves Treatment for Rare Autoimmune Disorder
FDA has approved sutimlimab-jome as a treatment for hemolysis in individuals with CAD.
Sartorius Acquires Novasep’s Chromatography Equipment Division
Sartorius Stedim Biotech has completed the acquisition of the chromatography equipment division of Novasep.
European Patent Office Grants Further Patent to Salipro Biotech
The European Patent Office has granted another patent to Salipro Biotech, covering the composition-of-matter, methods, and uses of the company’s novel antigen technology.
CGT Catapult Partners with MICA Biosystems
CGT Catapult has partnered with MICA Biosystems to advance MICA’s regenerative medicine technology to the UK’s MHRA.
FDA Faces Huge Task Catching Up on Inspections
With new COVID-19 infections declining, the agency is resuming domestic inspections of drug manufacturing facilities.
FDA Approves Bispecific Antibody to Treat Vision Loss
The agency approved Roche’s Vabysmo to treat neovascular or “wet” age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema.
Politics Impact FDA
A range of political issues have impacted FDA initiatives vital to the agency’s effectiveness and stature, both at home and on the important global stage.
Janssen Seeks European Approval of Teclistamab
Janssen has submitted a MAA to the EMA for teclistamab as a treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM).