Recon: FDA grants Merck’s Keytruda new indication for lung cancer; Thermo Fisher Scientific to buy Olink for $3.1B
Welcome to Regulatory Reconnaissance, your regulatory news and intelligence briefing.
In Focus: US
Merck's Keytruda gets FDA nod for expanded use in lung cancer (Reuters)
Aldeyra Anticipates FDA Rejection of Dry Eye Drug Following Regulatory Meeting (BioSpace)
Studies highlight risks of excluding people with obesity from drug trials (STAT)
Teva sues Colorado over ‘unconstitutional’ program to lower cost of epinephrine injectors (STAT)
As Pfizer slashes revenue projections, Moderna says it “remains comfortable” (STAT)
Price of lifesaving Covid-19 antiviral Paxlovid expected to rise next year, raising concerns about access (CNN)
Community pharmacists launch company to recover DIR fees (Modern Healthcare)
In Focus: International
EU regulator backs use of Merck's viral infection drug (Reuters)
EU HTA Regulation: Industry’s Missed Opportunity & The PICO Process (Pink Sheet)
Merck to open £1bn London research centre with plea for government support of industry (Financial Times)
New WHO Group To Advise On Drug Pricing Policies (Pink Sheet)
No Pandemic Accord Without Intellectual Property Protection, says German Health Minister (Health Policy Watch)
Deadly Indonesian cough syrup was almost pure toxin, court papers show (Reuters)
Pharma & Biotech
Thermo Fisher Scientific to buy Olink in $3.1 billion deal (Reuters)
Semaglutide's Weight-Loss Benefit Also Seen in Patients on Antidepressants (Medpage Today)
How one scientist’s determination made Novo Nordisk an obesity-drug powerhouse (STAT)
Roche enlists Monte Rosa for cancer, neuro discovery deal with $50M upfront (Endpoints)
Ultragenyx to spin off company to develop ‘high risk, high return’ gene therapy for Alzheimer’s disease (Endpoints)
Nkarta trims headcount as it sets sights on autoimmune cell therapy (Endpoints)
Gilead makes a $100M bet that Assembly Bio can advance antivirals, tossing lifeline to struggling biotech (Endpoints)
Jingle all the way? Pharma marketers adapt their music strategies for channels like TikTok (Endpoints)
Apellis’ C3 inhibitor shows biomarker impact in small PhII rare kidney disease trial (Endpoints)
MarketingRx roundup: Americans still divided over Covid boosters; Amgen ramps up activity on Threads (Endpoints)
Evelo dealt another blow with a PhII fail, plans for strategic alternatives (Endpoints)
Medtech
FDA Plans To Use Third Parties To Review LDTs (Medtech Insight)
New GE Neonatal Incubators Pose Less Formaldehyde Risk, FDA Says (Medtech Insight)
Amazon’s head of health services shares why consumers could be a disruptive force to the healthcare industry (Endpoints)
Breast cancer is deadlier for Black women. A study of mammograms could help close the gap (STAT)
J&J to restructure orthopedics business (MedTech Dive)
Medtech can cope with GLP-1s but ‘fear and doubt’ suppressing stocks: analysts (MedTech Dive)
GE HealthCare cuts formaldehyde levels in neonatal incubators with revised process (MedTech Dive)
New Breakthrough Devices Program Guidance: Expanding Opportunities for Medical Product Innovations (FDA Law Blog)
Government, Regulatory & Legal
Eye docs urge Medicare to lower insurance hurdles amid shortage of repackaged Avastin (STAT)
It’s time for the FDA to halt Cassava Sciences’ Alzheimer’s clinical trials (STAT)
When Medicare paid doctors differently, fewer patients had heart problems (STAT)
White House moves closer to a ban on menthol cigarettes, amid intensifying opposition from tobacco companies (STAT)
Regulatory Recon is our regular intelligence briefing for the regulatory affairs space, bringing you the top regulatory, biopharma and medtech news stories from around the globe. Regulatory Recon is published each week on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
A story’s inclusion in Regulatory Recon does not imply endorsement by Regulatory Focus or RAPS.
The International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF) has released a guidance for manufacturers on how to choose, evaluate, and monitor suppliers throughout the life cycle of medical devices.