A global coalition set up to fight epidemic diseases issued a call for $2 billion to support the development of a vaccine against the new coronavirus that is causing COVID-19 infections around the world.
For the first time, researchers tested CRISPR gene editing inside a person’s body. Allergan and Editas Medicine treated the first patient in the BRILLIANCE clinical trial of AGN-151587 at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Casey Eye Institute. The therapy is being tested for treatment of Leber congenital amaurosis 10 (LCA10), an inherited type of blindness caused by mutations in the centrosomal protein 290 (CEP290) gene.
The new anti-tuberculosis drug combination of bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid cures 90 percent of people with deadly drug-resistant TB if given for six months, researchers report in The New England Journal of Medicine.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to Genentech’s Esbriet as a potential treatment for adults with unclassifiable interstitial lung disease (uILD) as the Roche subsidiary looks to expand the drug’s indications.
Japanese drug manufacturer Takeda Pharmaceutical indicated that the company is attempting to develop a drug based on the blood of patients who recovered from COVID-19.
One of the arguments biopharma companies make for the high cost of new drugs is the expense of drug development. A new study published in JAMA Network, “Changes in List Prices, Net Prices, and Discounts for Branded Drugs in the U.S., 2007-2018,” provides some concrete data to the argument.
Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Unum Therapeutics announced a restructuring in order to shift assets toward the company’s preclinical program, BOXR1030, for solid tumors.
Shares of Karyopharm Therapeutics soared after the company posted positive Phase III results in multiple myeloma and announced plans for a regulatory submission in the second quarter of 2020 for a combination of Xpovio, Velcade and Dexamethasone.
Gilead Sciences Inc. is buying Forty Seven Inc. for $95.50 per share, or a deal value of $4.9 billion. The deal was unanimously approved by both companies’ boards.
BioSpace reviews some of the more interesting scientific studies recently published.
