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Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Novavax COVID Vaccine Conditionally Authorized in EU for Ages 12 - 17

 Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX), a biotechnology company dedicated to developing and commercializing next-generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases, today announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved the expanded conditional marketing authorization (CMA) of Nuvaxovid™ (NVX-CoV2373) COVID-19 vaccine in the European Union (EU) for adolescents aged 12 through 17. The approval follows the positive recommendation made by the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use on June 23, 2022.

"With this authorization, we are extremely pleased to be able to offer our Nuvaxovid COVID-19 vaccine to adolescents in the EU," said Stanley C. Erck, President and Chief Executive Officer, Novavax. "Our protein-based vaccine was developed using an innovative approach to traditional technology and has demonstrated efficacy and safety in both adolescents and adults."

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/novavax-nuvaxovid-covid-19-vaccine-133000745.html

FDA to reconvene experts' meeting for Amylyx ALS drug

 Amylyx Pharmaceuticals said on Tuesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will reconvene a meeting of its outside experts to review the company's application seeking approval for its amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) treatment.

A panel of outside advisers to the U.S. FDA in March voted six to four against its oral drug, AMX0035, saying the company's clinical study data failed to establish it was effective against ALS.

Shares of the company, which said the next meeting on Sept. 7 will focus on additional analyses from its clinical studies, jumped nearly 10% to $21.41 before the bell.

ALS, whose cause is largely unknown, leads nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to break down, affecting physical function, resulting in severe disability and even death.

FDA's decision on the drug, which was approved in Canada in June, is expected by Sept. 29.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/1-u-fda-reconvene-experts-132313296.html

Why Ra Medical Systems Shares Are Trading Higher

 

  • The FDA has cleared RA Medical Systems Inc's 
    RMED
     DABRA 2.0 catheter as part of the DABRA Excimer Laser System. 
  • This next-generation DABRA catheter features enhancements, including a braided over jacket design intended to improve deliverability and kink resistance when navigating tortuous anatomy and six-month shelf life.
  • "While we are pleased to receive this regulatory clearance, it comes as our Board continues its evaluation of strategic alternatives to optimize our Company's path forward in the current challenging economic environment," said Will McGuire, Ra Medical Systems CEO.
  • "As we have previously announced, the DABRA 2.0 catheter represents an interim step in our work to develop a guidewire-compatible version of the DABRA catheter. At this time, we have no plans to commercialize the DABRA 2.0," he added. 
  • In May, RA Medical Systems disclosed that it is reviewing strategic alternatives.

Anebulo: Positive Topline Data in Phase 2 Clinical Trial for Acute Cannabinoid Intoxication

 Anebulo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANEB), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel solutions for people suffering from acute cannabinoid intoxication (ACI) and substance abuse disorders (the "Company" or "Anebulo"), today announced positive topline data from Part A of an ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the potential of ANEB-001 to treat ACI. Part A was a 60 subject randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a single dose of ANEB-001 in treating healthy subjects challenged with delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, better known as THC, the primary psychoactive constituent of cannabis. These data demonstrated a highly statistically significant reduction in key symptoms of ACI, with only 10% of subjects in the 50 mg ANEB-001 group and 30% in the 100 mg group reporting feeling high compared to 75% of subjects in the placebo group (p < 0.001). ANEB-001 was well tolerated in these healthy volunteers. Preliminary safety information showed all adverse events were mild and transient, except in the case of one subject in the 50 mg ANEB-001 group who experienced moderate nausea and vomiting.

"We believe this proof-of-concept trial demonstrates ANEB-001’s potential to reverse the symptoms of ACI for many of the five thousand cannabinoid intoxicated individuals visiting our emergency departments in the United States on a daily basis," said Simon Allen, Chief Executive Officer of Anebulo. "We believe marijuana legalization and greater consumer access to cheaper and higher potency THC products will continue to increase the incidence and severity of emergency department visits related to cannabinoid intoxication. With no FDA approved therapy, individuals intoxicated with cannabinoids have few treatment options and may require expensive follow-on interventions for neuropsychiatric complications such as anxiety and acute psychosis. ANEB-001 has the potential to mitigate these unfortunate circumstances and reduce their burden on individuals, society, and our healthcare system."

The study was conducted at the Centre for Human Drug Research (CHDR) in the Netherlands and enrolled 60 healthy adult occasional cannabis users randomized to three treatment arms of 20 subjects per arm. All subjects were challenged with a single oral dose of 10.5 mg THC and then treated with single oral doses of 50 mg ANEB-001, 100 mg ANEB-001, or placebo. Subjects were monitored for 24 hours to assess safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics, and repeatedly tested to determine potential effects on endpoints related to ACI symptoms. The tests also included a series of validated measures of subjective CNS symptoms using visual analog scale (VAS) assessments, as well as objective measures of intoxication. Subjects challenged with THC and treated with placebo showed substantial CNS effects including feeling high, decreased alertness, increased body sway, and increased heart rate. Compared to placebo, treatment of subjects with ANEB-001 led to a significant, robust, and sustained reduction in the VAS feeling high score (p < 0.0001 at both dose levels) and improvement in the VAS alertness scale (p < 0.01). In addition, the proportion of subjects reporting feeling high on the VAS was significantly reduced by ANEB-001 (p < 0.001). Although THC-induced effects on body sway and heart rate in this study were small, there was also a trend towards statistical improvement of these parameters with ANEB-001 treatment compared to placebo. The 50 mg and 100 mg doses had similar results, suggesting that lower doses should be explored. Pharmacokinetic data are pending and additional analyses of Part A data, including pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) correlations, are planned.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/anebulo-pharmaceuticals-announces-positive-topline-100000701.html

Vertex: FDA Lifts Clinical Hold on Phase 1/2 Trial for Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes

 Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has lifted the clinical hold placed on the Phase 1/2 clinical trial of VX-880, an investigational stem cell-derived, fully differentiated pancreatic islet cell replacement therapy for people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) with impaired hypoglycemic awareness and severe hypoglycemia. As a result, the Phase 1/2 trial will be reopened for screening, enrollment and dosing at multiple sites in the U.S.

To date, three patients have been dosed in the Phase 1/2 study with VX-880. Two patients received half the target dose of cells in Part A of the study. A third patient has received the full target dose in Part B of the study. Part B will evaluate safety and efficacy in five patients at the target dose before expanding to additional patients in Part C.

https://www.biospace.com/article/releases/vertex-announces-fda-has-lifted-the-clinical-hold-on-vx-880-phase-1-2-clinical-trial-for-the-treatment-of-type-1-diabetes/

Titan: FDA Clearance of IND Application for Nalmefene Implant

 Titan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTNP) ("Titan" or the "Company") today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") has cleared its Investigational New Drug ("IND") application for a Phase 1 study of its six-month or longer subdermal formulation of nalmefene, an opioid antagonist, intended for the prevention of relapse following opioid detoxification in adults with Opioid Use Disorder ("OUD").

https://www.biospace.com/article/releases/titan-pharmaceuticals-announces-fda-clearance-of-ind-application-for-nalmefene-implant/

Chinook Gets Orphan Drug Designation from EC for Treatment of Primary IgA Nephropathy

  Chinook Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: KDNY), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of precision medicines for kidney diseases, today announced the European Commission has granted orphan drug designation for BION-1301 for the treatment of primary IgA nephropathy (IgAN). The decision follows a positive opinion from the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

https://www.biospace.com/article/releases/chinook-therapeutics-receives-orphan-drug-designation-from-european-commission-for-bion-1301-for-treatment-of-primary-iga-nephropathy-igan-/