As with the Massachusetts layoffs announced two weeks ago, a Takeda spokesperson stated that the cuts in California are directly related to the company’s decision to discontinue discovery and pre-clinical efforts in AAV gene therapy as well as research and pre-clinical efforts in rare hematology.
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The aim of the Lupus Nexus is to transform lupus research and drug development through unprecedented information exchange capabilities. The platform will provide a collaborative solution that is inclusive of diverse patient populations disproportionally affected by lupus.
While media attention has focused on the availability of abortions, take note: contradictory court decisions about mifepristone broadly threaten the authority of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve and regulate new medications for any indication.
A Takeda spokesperson said the layoffs are not part of a larger initiative to reduce staff across the company. Rather, they are part of an effort to make sure the company is “best positioned to meet [its] current and future priorities.”
The companies said in first-quarter earnings calls that they want to restructure R&D, cut costs and shift away from high-risk drug development to focus areas.
Brussels on Wednesday published a long-awaited draft of its proposed overhaul of laws governing the European Union’s pharmaceuticals industry, setting up a tussle with drugmakers which warn they will invest and innovate elsewhere.
British drugmaker GSK on Wednesday warned that the overhaul of laws governing the EU’s pharmaceuticals industry risks forcing companies to invest and innovate elsewhere, which would hurt EU efforts to improve access to medicines.
Operation Warp Speed worked so well to accelerate the development of COVID-19 vaccines the FDA now has its sights set on a similar initiative for rare disease treatments.
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law by President Biden on August 2022, also contains provisions regarding drug pricing. Two policies in particular are designed to influence drug prices, and these might in turn affect drug development strategies.
The company said the decision followed a review of a late-stage study by a data monitoring panel, which showed the drug, reldesemtiv, had no effect in ALS patients compared with placebo.