J&J Head of R&D Steps Down Unexpectedly
Mathai Mammen, MD, PhD, has stepped down from his role as head of research and development at Johnson & Johnson. Mammen, who joined the company in 2017, was appointed VP of pharmaceuticals R&D just last year. According to an announcement made yesterday, August 8th, his departure is based on his plans to “pursue other opportunities.”
US Government Eyes Transdermal Vaccinations for Monkeypox
As cases of monkeypox rise in the US, unnamed sources are indicating the government will push for transdermal injection for Jyneos, the monkeypox vaccine produced by Bavarian Nordic. The scale of the outbreak, which resulted in a declaration of a national health emergency just last week, combined with the small supply of the vaccine has officials looking into resource-saving measures. The procedure requires just one-fifth the dose of the standard subcutaneous injection route, but requires specialized training to perform.
UK Lord’s Committee Share Worries Over Nation’s Goal to Become ‘Science Superpower”
The UK Lord’s Committee has released a report that casts doubts over the UK government’s goal of ‘science and technology superpower’. Last year, the government released its 2021 Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy report that solidified these ambitions. The statement from the Lord’s committee lays out areas of improvement and proposes an actionable means to tackle these issues.
Value in Health: Defining a Core Data Set for the Economic Evaluation of Precision Oncology
Despite the growing abundance of multiomic data in precision oncology, the lack of standardization and interoperability impedes economic evaluation. In the latest issue of Value in Health, Samantha Pollard, PhD et al. found significant variability in published data resources. Through their work, they identified a core set of 68 data elements that they believe would support accurate and efficient economic evaluations.
Evidence Partners® Inc. Secures $20 Million in Growth Financing
Evidence Partners® Inc. announced today, August 9th, that it has closed a growth financing round worth $20 million. The funding comes from Thomwest Ventures, Pender Ventures, and Export Development Canada. Evidence Partners is known as a leader in artificial intelligence (AI)-based automated literature review software with their DistillerSR™ platform. The software automates the tedious and time-consuming process of literature review.
Whitepaper – Adaptive Trial Designs in Early Oncology: Minimizing Risk & Accelerating Timelinesv
Despite a growing understanding of cancer biology, only 10% of cancer treatments approved by the FDA have an overall survival benefit for patients. A newly available white paper lays out the current precision medicine landscape and how the shift towards adaptive trial designs could accelerate market access and improve patient outcomes
Inflation Reduction Act Maintains Expanded Health Insurance Subsidies
The Inflation Reduction Act, passed by the US Senate this Sunday, would preserve healthcare subsidies for 13 million people who purchase care through the marketplace. The bill, if passed by the House, would extend the subsidies through 2025. Originally, the subsidies only extended to the end of 2022.
NPR Poll: One in Five US Residents with Serious Illness Couldn’t Access Care During COVID-19 Pandemic
A newly released survey from NPR shows that the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted access to care for approximately 20% of [...]
US FDA Gives Quick Approval for First Low-HER2 Breast Cancer Drug
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Enhurtu, the first drug to treat metastatic or unresectable low-HER2 breast cancer, a recently defined category of the disease. The drug, developed by AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo, received expedited approval from the agency, in part because of the potential for the breast cancer category, which covers over half of cases previously defined as HER2-negative.
US Senate Passes Democrat’s Flagship Climate, Drug Pricing, and Tax Bill
After months of negotiations and setbacks, Democrats in the US Senate have passed a pared-down version of their tax, climate, and drug pricing reform bill. Included in the bill is a provision that would limit the price of Insulin to $35 a month for Medicare recipients. Previous iterations of the bill that would have capped prices for patients on private care plans were struck down by Senate Republicans. The passage of the bill comes after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) reached a last-minute agreement with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
6 Steps for Global Health Equity in Parkinson’s Disease
Nations across the globe have seen large increases in Parkinson’s disease over the past few decades. Large health disparities exist between wealthy nations and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the latter experiencing significant barriers to access neurological healthcare. A report released last month in JAMA Neurology lists 6 steps to tackle these disparities.
Webinar: Make Market Access Your Brand’s Super Power
Accessibility is a key deciding factor for clinicians when prescribing medicine. At an upcoming webinar on August 23rd, Jon Bambalas [...]
Conference: Virtual ISPOR Asia Pacific Summit 2022 – 20-21 September
ISPOR is hosting its Virtual ISPOR Asia Pacific Summit this upcoming September 20th and 21st. The conference will connect health [...]
The Rise of Real-World Data in Oncology
Data technology background. Big data visualization. Flow of data. Information code. Background in a matrix style. 4k rendering. [...]
Bristol Meyer Squibb Eyes More Major M&As
Last Wednesday, July 27th, Bristol Meyer Squibb’s CEO Giovanni Caforio signaled that the company has the resources to grow its holdings and it intends to do so. The company’s sales this Q2 were more than double the same period last year, giving the company more than enough funds to build off recent acquisitions.
Master Control: Your Guide to Connecting Pharma Quality Data
Achieving success in the pharma landscape requires a modern quality management system (QMS). Master Control has released a new guide [...]
Patrice Matchaba of Novartis Speaks About Company’s Initiative for Inclusion and Diversity
Novartis recently stepped up its efforts toward diversity and inclusion by launching the Beacon of Hope program, an initiative that works to create fruitful partnerships with 26 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU). Late last month, Ed Miseta, Chief Editor of Clinical leader, discussed the program with Patrice Matchaba, MD, Head of US Corporate Responsibility at Novartis, and President of the Novartis US Foundation.
Endpoints Webinar: How could an open access DNA-encoded library benefit your research? – Friday, August 4th
In an upcoming Endpoints webinar this Thursday, August 4th, Endpoints founder, Arsalan Arif, will sit down with Guansai Liu, Executive Director of Chemistry at Discovery Chemistry Unit, HitGen Inc. The two will talk about how Hitgen’s OpenDEL®3.0 can empower research by letting users experiment with DNA-encoded library (DEL) selection campaigns during drug development.
Social Determinants of Health as Key Contributors to Health Inequity
Social determinants of health (SDOH) are being recognized increasingly as drivers of health inequity, contributing to worsened health outcomes for marginalized people, according to Karol Watson, MD, PhD, at the 2022 Congress of the American Society for Preventative Cardiology. During the talk, which took place this past Sunday, July 31st, Watson detailed how the disproportionate mortality rate of people of color during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic highlights race as an SDOH.
Analysts Project Four Major Pharma Companies Most Hit by US Drug Pricing Reform
As the US Senate moves closer to passing a bill that would allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, analysts are busy projecting the impact to the pharma industry. According to analysts from SVB Securities, Eli Lilly, Abbvie, Johnson & Johnson, and Astrazeneca will be especially impacted if the proposal passes.
Sanofi at Least Risk of Generic Competition, CEO Says
Paul Hudson, CEO of Sanofi, told investors on Thursday, July 28th, that the company’s stock was the “least exposed” to competition from generics for the next decade. According to Hudson, the company’s only upcoming loss of exclusivity through 2030 is Aubagio. The company’s biggest seller, Dupixent, is still growing in sales and a generic is nowhere in sight in the 2020’s.
Icosavax Identifies Reason its COVID-19 Vaccine Failed, Looks Toward Future
Icosavax has just wrapped up an investigation into the disappointing results of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, IVX-411, finding that instability issues were at fault. The receptor binding domain of the soccer ball-shaped “virus-like particle” degraded at the recommended storage temps of 2-8°C. The instability proved to diminish the effect of the vaccine in mice studies.
Merck Keeps a Tight Lid on Potential Seagen Merger
Despite weeks of speculation about the company’s plans to acquire Seagen, Merck was tightlipped about the rumors during a conference call this Thursday, July 28th. Sales of Merck’s cancer blockbuster Keytruda totalled $5.3 billion, over a third of the company’s total revenue for the quarter. As a result, it is seeking to widen its offerings.
Free Ebook: Real-World Evidence in Oncology
Health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) and real-world evidence (RWE) are changing the clinical trial landscape in oncology. Oncology Central has released a free eBook about HEOR and RWE in oncology that includes peer-reviewed research articles and reviews, as well as access to a panel discussion.
Moderna Makes Deal with US Govt for Augmented COVID-19 Booster
Moderna has signed a contract worth up to $1.74 billion with the US government to provide an updated version of its mRNA vaccine. This version of the vaccine targets the BA.4/BA.5 Omicron strains that are currently dominant. The deal would get the US an initial 66 million doses, which could later include an additional 234 million.
