PHARMACY MARKET
GlobeNewswire | September 12, 2023
Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. a pharmaceutical company advancing medicines to solve patients’ problems with current standards of care and provide transformative products to improve their lives, today announced acceptance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Company’s NDA for Libervant™ (diazepam) Buccal Film in pediatric patients between two and five years of age and the assignment of a PDUFA goal date of April 28, 2024.
Aquestive’s NDA for approval of Libervant™ Buccal Film for the acute treatment of intermittent, stereotypic episodes of frequent seizure activity (i.e., seizure clusters, acute repetitive seizures) in patients between two and five years of age has been accepted by the FDA. Diastat® (diazepam) Rectal Gel is the only treatment currently available to this patient population for this indication. The Company received tentative approval for Libervant for the treatment of intermittent, stereotypic episodes of frequent seizure activity (i.e., seizure clusters, acute repetitive seizures) in patients 12 years of age and older in August 2022, but Libervant is currently under an orphan drug block to market access until January 2027.
“The FDA’s acceptance of our most recent filing for Libervant is another step forward in bringing this important treatment option to patients,” said Daniel Barber, Chief Executive Officer of Aquestive. “When it comes to the treatment of seizure clusters in pediatric patients with epilepsy five years of age and under, physicians and caregivers have limited options. We believe Libervant, as an oral alternative to existing device-based products, will be well-received by this patient population, if approved with market access.”
About Libervant
Libervant is a buccally, or inside of the cheek, administered film formulation of diazepam, a benzodiazepine intended for the acute treatment of intermittent, stereotypic episodes of frequent seizure activity (i.e., seizure clusters, acute repetitive seizures) that are distinct from a patient’s usual seizure pattern. Aquestive developed Libervant as an alternative to the device-based products currently available for patients with refractory epilepsy, including a rectal gel and nasal spray products. The FDA has granted tentative approval for Libervant for treatment of these epilepsy patients 12 years of age and older, with U.S. market access for Libervant for this age group of patients subject to the expiration of the existing orphan drug market exclusivity of a previously FDA approved drug scheduled to expire in January 2027. The NDA submitted today for Libervant for epilepsy patients between two and five years of age is subject to FDA approval, including for U.S. market access.
About Aquestive
Aquestive is a pharmaceutical company advancing medicines to solve patients’ problems with current standards of care and provide transformative products to improve their lives. We are developing orally administered products to deliver complex molecules, providing novel alternatives to invasive and inconvenient standard of care therapies. Aquestive has five commercialized products marketed by its licensees in the U.S. and around the world, and is the exclusive manufacturer of these licensed products. The Company also collaborates with pharmaceutical companies to bring new molecules to market using proprietary, best-in-class technologies, like PharmFilm®, and has proven drug development and commercialization capabilities. Aquestive is advancing a late-stage proprietary product pipeline focused on treating diseases of the central nervous system and an earlier stage pipeline for the treatment of severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis.
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PHARMA TECH
PR Newswire | October 03, 2023
Cordis, a worldwide leader in the development and manufacturing of interventional cardiovascular and endovascular technology, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of MedAlliance, a Switzerland-based developer of drug-eluting balloon technology. This acquisition adds a key growth driver to the company's coronary and peripheral vascular portfolios as we expect SELUTION SLR™ (Sustained Limus Release) Drug-Eluting Balloons (DEB) will be the first Sirolimus DEB to market in key geographies.
SELUTION SLR™ DEB technology is designed to balance both safety and efficacy with its use of MicroReservoirs made from biodegradable polymers intermixed with the anti-proliferative drug Sirolimus. The MicroReservoirs control the sustained release of the drug and is designed to provide the longest and most effective pharmacokinetic release profile of any device on the market. SELUTION SLR™ DEB has demonstrated early efficacy across studies in both the coronary and peripheral vasculature and is now being studied in 4 FDA IDE trials to gain US market access.
"This acquisition is key in advancing Cordis' legacy of cardiovascular innovation," said Shar Matin, CEO of Cordis. "We are creating leverage by joining the MedAlliance team and their world-class innovation with the reach and breadth of Cordis' global infrastructure. This combination will add value to millions of patients and clinicians, revolutionizing vascular care."
Ron Waksman, a cardiologist at the Washington Hospital Center and Primary Investigator of the SELUTION SLR™ DEB Coronary De Novo study added, "Cordis introduced the first coronary drug-eluting stent to the market over twenty years ago. SELUTION SLR™ DEB has a similar opportunity to improve the health of patients and revolutionize the way clinicians deliver vascular care."
"The Cordis acquisition will accelerate access to this breakthrough technology for patients suffering from coronary and peripheral disease around the globe," said Jeffrey B. Jump, Founder, Chairman and CEO of MedAlliance. "The team set out to disrupt the coronary and peripheral markets and provide physicians with a new safe and effective technology. The arsenal of SELUTION SLR™ DEB clinical data is designed to change medical practice and improve patient outcomes."
About Cordis
Cordis is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacturing of interventional vascular technology with a more than 60-year history of pioneering breakthrough cardiovascular technologies to treat millions of patients. With a reputation for clinical acumen, training, and service, Cordis established a legacy of innovation in high-quality and minimally invasive cardiovascular products and built a strong global footprint with operations in more than 70 countries around the world. Cordis is backed by private equity firms Hellman & Friedman and KKR.
About MedAlliance
MedAlliance is headquartered in Nyon, Switzerland. It specializes in the development of ground-breaking technology and commercialization of advanced drug device combination products, initially for the treatment of coronary and peripheral artery disease. The SELUTION SLR™ DEB, is a novel sirolimus-eluting balloon platform technology.
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PHARMACY MARKET
Business Wire | September 28, 2023
Cytel Inc., provider of quantitative insights and health data analytics to leaders in the life sciences, has acquired the Berlin-based company co.faktor GmbH with its dedicated healthcare consultancy services co.value® (market access), co.medical® (medical communications), and co.patient® (patient relations) concentrations. As a result, Cytel’s services for biopharma commercialization will gain new and complementary specialist consultancy capabilities and localized expertise for successful market access in Germany, a first wave launch country. The acquisition marks another milestone in Cytel’s strategic growth in Europe, and follows the recent acquisition of stève consultants, specialists in market access, real-world evidence (RWE), and health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) in France. Cytel now boasts a 200-person-strong access consultancy team, making it one of the only providers that offers the full fleet of advisory services, from clinical trial and real-world data and evidence analytics to global market access and local in-country Health Technology Assessment (HTA) support.
Cytel is now primed to provide global drug sponsors and their affiliate teams with advanced analytical support across the lifecycle through commercialization. Achieving favorable market access in today’s global healthcare industry is challenging and requires deep knowledge of EU national regulations. Cytel has long excelled at using proven quantitative techniques to help pharmaceutical manufacturers successfully enter new markets. To continue supporting global and local clients on their road to commercial success, Cytel has invested heavily in specialized, national capabilities in key launch markets with the recent acquisitions of stève consultants in June 2023 and SDS Life Sciences in 2022. Cytel’s most recent acquisition of the co.faktor businesses continues this investment, augmenting and extending localized regulatory support through product launch and commercialization.
“The co.faktor team is recognized as a highly specialized biopharma services provider, with a broad spectrum of services including HTA, pricing, medical communication, patient relations, and strategic consultancy in Germany. It’s no surprise they’ve shaped the field there,” said Radek Wasiak, General Manager, Real-World & Advanced Analytics at Cytel. “We look forward to welcoming them to Cytel, where they will now be supported by the full depth and breadth of our unparalleled biometrics, RWE, HEOR, and market access advisory talent.”
“Cytel and co.faktor have clear synergies, particularly when it comes to Cytel’s data know-how and co.faktor’s understanding of Germany’s uniquely complex market access and HTA requirements,” said Dr. Marc Esser, CEO, co.faktor. “By combining our deep expertise in the German HTA process with Cytel’s unique capabilities, we will be able to help our clients survive the upcoming European Health Technology Assessment (EU-HTA), a key challenge for all stakeholders in the European pharma market.”
About Cytel
Cytel is the largest provider of statistical software and advanced analytics for clinical trial design and execution. For over thirty-five years, Cytel’s scientific rigor and operational excellence have enabled biotech and pharmaceutical companies to navigate uncertainty, prove value and make confident, evidence-based decisions. Its experts deliver industry-leading software, data-driven analytics, real-world evidence, and strategic consulting. Headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, Cytel has more than 1,900 resources across North America, Europe, and Asia.
About co.faktor
For more than ten years, Berlin-based co.faktor GmbH has been providing specialized consulting services with its dedicated healthcare consultancy services co.value® (market access), co.medical® (medical communications), and co.patient® (patient relations) concentrations. By synergistically combining the expertise in these areas, co.faktor offers efficient launch support with consistent messaging to all relevant stakeholders.
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