Industry news

Biotech 're-tweets' in wake of pledge to rein in drug prices

Peter Winter / BioWorld

The last couple of months have seen the capital markets take a beating and biotech has not been immune from a 10 percent market correction and ongoing unresolved macro-economic issues that have kept Wall Street wary and on edge.

06 October 2015

Neothetics Announces Issuance by USPTO of Additional Patent Directed to LIPO-202 Lead Clinical Asset

Neothetics, Inc.  (NASDAQ:NEOT), a clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for the aesthetic market, today announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 9,132,084 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This marks issuance of the company's third  United States  patent in its portfolio that is directed to  Neothetics'  lead asset, LIPO-202, the first non-invasive injectable drug candidate for reduction of central abdominal bulging due to subcutaneous fat in non-obese subjects. This particular patent is directed to formulations and methods for reducing adipose tissue using LIPO-202. 

Parasitic Disease Drug Researchers Awarded Nobel Prize

BioPharm International

The 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded three researchers for the development of therapies “that have revolutionized the treatment of some of the most devastating parasitic diseases,” the Nobel organization reports in a press announcement.

06 October 2015

EyewireTV — Raindrop Near Vision Inlay PMA; MillennialEYE Live

EyewireTV

In this week's EyewireTV, ReVision Optics submits to the FDA the fourth and final module of the company’s premarket approval application for the Raindrop near vision inlay; and Ocular Therapeutix submits a new drug application to the FDA for Dextenza (dexamethasone 0.4 mg) for the treatment of ocular pain following ophthalmic surgery. Also, future and current leaders in ophthalmology discuss the hottest topics from annual MillennialEYE Live meeting in Hollywood. 

06 October 2015

ReVision Optics Files Final Module of FDA Premarket Approval Application for Raindrop Near Vision Inlay

ReVision Optics announced the submission to the FDA of the fourth and final module of the company’s premarket approval (PMA) application for the Raindrop near vision inlay, according to a company news release. The Raindrop is a microscopic hydrogel inlay designed to correct presbyopia, thus reducing or even eliminating the need for reading glasses. The fourth module includes clinical data from more than 300 subjects who have been followed for at least 24 months post-procedure.

Clinical trial data transparency is the right thing to do

Dr. Murray Stewart, Chief Medical Officer, GSK / PhRMA

At times, there can be a huge gulf between principle and practice. For example, eating healthy foods and getting lots of exercise are clearly beneficial, but they require commitment and hard work and are not sustained by many people.

Small-molecule remote control allows communication with cell therapies

Anette Breindl / BioWorld

Researchers have developed a small-molecule "on" switch for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells that allowed them, in preclinical models, to control the cells' activity after transplantation.

Europe grants its first CE mark for leadless pacemaker to treat left ventricle

Varun Saxena / FierceMedicalDevices

EBR Systems' WiSE leadless pacemaker just earned a CE mark, becoming the first device in the class approved for improving left ventricular function. Medtronic and St. Jude Medical also offer leadless pacemakers, but they are implanted in the heart's right ventricle.

Pricing maelstrom threatens to suck in another drugmaker

Mari Serebrov / BioWorld

Hear that sucking sound? It's getting louder as the maelstrom Turing Pharmaceuticals LLC recently churned up over drug prices threatens to engulf another biopharma company.

The contentious gene editing field gets a tech upgrade. What now?

John Carroll / FierceBiotech

Back when the patent war was brewing over CRISPR/Cas9, the Broad Institute's Feng Zhang made it clear that he believed the big innovations in gene editing still lay ahead. And in the last few days he set out to prove he was right, pointing to an alternative to Cas9 that could wind up serving as a much better tool to use to perform surgery on a gene.