PHARMA TECH
Douglas Pharmaceuticals | January 27, 2023
A clinical advisory board has been established to support Douglas Pharmaceuticals' lead program R-107, an oral extended-release dose of racemic ketamine being developed as an adjunctive or stand-alone therapy for treatment-resistant depression.
Douglas Pharmaceuticals is a New Zealand-based pharmaceutical company specializing in the development of specialty generic and repurposed medications (TRD).
Peter Surman, Chief Scientific Officer expressed, "We are very excited to bring together a group of world-class experts in the field of psychiatry, to help guide our late-stage development of R-107." "We believe their deep knowledge in the field, insights and contributions will be instrumental in charting an efficient course through pivotal clinical studies in TRD," he added.
(Source – Cision PR Newswire)
Some of the members of the clinical advisory board are as follows:
• Prof. Paul Glue [MB, ChB (Otago), MD (Bristol), FRCPsych]
• Prof. Alan F. Schatzberg, [MD] • Prof. Sanjay J. Mathew [MD]
• Prof. Allan Young [MB, ChB, MPhil, Ph.D., FRCP (Edin.), FRCPC, FRCPsych]
• Prof. Wiesław J. Cubała, [MD, PhD]
• Prof. Colleen Loo [MBBS (Hons), FRANZCP, MD]
About Douglas Pharmaceuticals
New Zealand's largest private pharmaceutical and healthcare firm, Douglas Pharmaceuticals, employs over 700 people and exports to over 40 countries. The company provides creative, competitive, and high-quality healthcare solutions to 'improve lives'. It designs, manufactures, and distributes unique and generic products, preferring those with significant intellectual property and technological complexity in high-unmet need sectors. The company's presence in international markets continues to grow, exposing New Zealand to the world. It is dedicated to improving people's health all around the globe. Some of the products that the company works with cutting-edge partners to develop, make, market, and distribute are pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, automated compliance systems, and consumer healthcare items.
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RESEARCH, PHARMACY MARKET
Impel Pharmaceuticals | February 23, 2023
On February 22, 2023, Impel Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical firm that develops innovative treatments for diseases with high unmet medical needs, announced that it will execute an operational streamlining plan to reduce employee and non-employee expenses, primarily affecting the research and development division. The company intends to divert resources to benefit from the successful response of payors and prescribers to Trudhesa® (dihydroergotamine mesylate) nasal spray (0.725 mg per spray).
Impel Pharmaceuticals will stop research and development activities on INP105, a drug to treat agitation and aggression in autism spectrum disorder. The reduction in expenses is expected to come from lower non-employee-related general and administrative and research and development expenses, as well as a reduction of 16 percent in headcount.
Additionally, the company announced that its Chief Medical Officer, Stephen Shrewsbury, M.D., will leave the company on March 31, 2023.
The company projects that these measures, along with others, will provide sufficient capital to fund operations through Q3 2023, allowing it to focus on maximizing the commercial opportunity and positive momentum of Trudhesa® in the huge and rapidly expanding acute migraine market.
Trudhesa® has experienced a strong launch trajectory, with 58,424 prescriptions at the end of 2022, accounting for 4.3% of branded acute migraine prescriptions (nTRx) among prescribers after a full-year launch. Impel expanded its sales force by 50%, from 60 to 90 sales professionals, in July 2022 to capitalize on this positive momentum, resulting in a 58% increase in new quarterly prescriptions from Q2 to Q4 2022. Reimbursement of all shipments finished the year at over 60%, and refill rates remained high, with an average of 63% at the end of 2022.
The company plans to increase its efforts to commercialize Trudhesa® while also exploring strategic and financing initiatives and opportunities to fully leverage the potential of its proprietary Precision Olfactory Delivery (POD®) technology and expertise with small and large molecules in various disease areas.
About Impel Pharmaceuticals
Impel Pharmaceuticals is a commercial-stage pharmaceutical firm that focuses on developing and providing treatments for patients suffering from diseases with high unmet needs. The company employs a novel approach to drug delivery by utilizing its proprietary Precision Olfactory Delivery (POD®) technology in conjunction with established therapeutics to develop and offer treatments. In September 2021, it received approval from the U.S. FDA for its first product, Trudhesa® nasal spray, which is used to treat acute migraine with or without aura in adults. Along with Trudhesa, the company continues to address patient needs through licensing and partnerships.
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PHARMA TECH
BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. | March 08, 2023
On March 7, 2023, BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., a global biotech company focused on improving lives via genetic discovery, announced that the US FDA has accepted its supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for VOXZOGO® (vosoritide) for injection to expand the treatment of achondroplasia in children under the age of 5.
Achondroplasia is a common form of disproportionate short stature. The FDA has set an action date of October 21, 2023, for the sNDA. The sNDA is supported by data from a Phase 2 double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, which showed similar safety and efficacy profiles in children under five years of age compared to those aged five years and older.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) also validated BioMarin's application for VOXZOGO in January to treat children under the age of 2. If approved, VOXZOGO could be prescribed for over 1,000 additional children from birth for achondroplasia.
VOXZOGO is the first EMA and FDA-approved treatment for achondroplasia with open bone growth plates. The treatment uses a new class of therapy, C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) analog, which promotes bone growth by acting as a positive regulator of the signaling pathway downstream of the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 gene (FGFR3).
The drug is approved in the EU, Brazil, and Australia for children aged two years and above with epiphyses (bone growth plates) and in Japan for children from birth who have achondroplasia with open growth plates. BioMarin has enrolled 250 children with achondroplasia in seven clinical studies in eight countries to evaluate the safety and efficacy of VOXZOGO.
About BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.
BioMarin is a leading biotechnology firm established in 1997 with a mission to transform people's lives by using genetic discovery. The company creates targeted therapies that address the underlying cause of genetic disorders to improve the quality of life for individuals with rare genetic diseases. It has developed eight first or best-in-class treatments and has a range of product candidates to address various genetic disorders using the same science-based approach. As BioMarin continues to create new and innovative solutions, it has the potential to impact the lives of even more people. The company is committed to prioritizing patients and their needs in its approach to drug development.
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