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A new mRNA vaccine developed in Japan has been shown to suppress abnormal blood vessel growth in the retina of mice, offering hope for patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Current treatments require repeated injections directly into the eye, but this vaccine can be delivered intramuscularly, making it less invasive and easier to administer. By targeting LRG1, a protein linked to abnormal angiogenesis, the vaccine triggered strong antibody responses that reduced retinal damage by up to 85% in mouse models. If successful in humans, this approach could transform AMD treatment and significantly reduce the burden of eye injections. Key Facts • Mechanism: The vaccine blocks LRG1, a protein promoting abnormal blood vessel growth. • Effectiveness: Reduced retinal leakage by 85% and lesion size by 82% in mouse models. • Advantage: Works as well as anti-VEGF therapy but requires only a simple arm injection. Source: Institute of Science Tokyo An mRNA vaccine developed by researchers from Japan suppressed abnormal blood vessel growth or neovascularization in the retina of mouse models. Neovascularization is a condition that is caused by age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of vision loss for elderly people. The vaccine can be delivered intramuscularly and is as effective as current therapies that require frequent eye injections,...

Peter Marks, the former top vaccine regulator who was ousted from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration earlier this year, has joined Eli Lilly (LLY.N), opens new tab, the drugmaker told Reuters on Tuesday. Marks will oversee molecule discovery and infectious diseases at Lilly, starting this month. "Peter's expertise strengthens our abilities across multiple areas, both in our existing portfolio and in our work in emerging areas," the company said. Lilly added it continually evaluates breakthrough science which could benefit patients. Marks, who played a key role in U.S. President Donald Trump's first term in developing COVID-19 vaccines, resigned in March after being forced out by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Shares of U.S. drugmakers fell, when reports on Marks' ouster from the FDA first came out in late March. As director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Marks had publicly supported programs that expedited the development of rare disease treatments and gene therapies during his tenure. "We believe that Dr. Marks can bring significant value to Lilly given his tremendous experience and background," said Leerink Partners analyst David Risinger. Marks' move follows similar transitions by other senior FDA officials such as former head of the FDA's drug evaluation unit, Patrizia...

A new clinical case study, presented today by Qure.ai and Hacettepe University, Turkey, at the IASLC World Conference on Lung Cancer 2025 in Barcelona, shows that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can detect potentially malignant pulmonary nodules on routine chest X-rays (CXRs), even when the imaging was ordered for unrelated, non-respiratory conditions. This adds to the growing body of evidence that AI can act as a disruptor in early lung cancer detection strategies. It can provide an early warning system in countries without formal lung cancer screening programs or complement CT-based screening programs by going beyond smoker/ex-smoker cohorts. By expanding and improving the number of early-detected lung cancer patients, survival rates will increase through early surgical or pharmaceutical interventions. “By finding high-risk nodules earlier and diagnose lung cancer at early stages, AI not only improves, but also accelerates diagnosis and treatment,” said Dr. Deniz Koksal at Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey. “This enables early surgical interventions while reducing the need for more expensive treatments such as targeted therapies and immunotherapies.” The case series, ‘Chest X-Ray Analysis with Artificial Intelligence Software Aids in the Early Diagnosis of Lung Cancer’, conducted at Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey, utilised data from the CREATE study—a coordinated, five-country research initiative....

AstraZeneca said on Tuesday its experimental drug baxdrostat significantly lowered blood pressure during a 24-hour window of monitoring in a late-stage trial of patients with treatment-resistant hypertension. The company said the drug met the main goal of the study when compared to placebo at the end of 12 weeks. Patients in the trial had received 2 milligrams of baxdrostat or placebo on top of standard care. AstraZeneca has previously said that it expects to file for regulatory approval of the drug before the end of the year. Baxdrostat is currently being investigated for four indications, including chronic kidney disease and prevention of heart failure.

LONDON/COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -Wegovy-maker Novo Nordisk has laid off dozens of employees at the largest U.S. manufacturing site for its blockbuster obesity and diabetes drugs, a Reuters review of LinkedIn posts showed, a signal of where it is making cuts in a major restructuring under new CEO Mike Doustdar. The previously unreported cuts included staff in manufacturing roles, from quality control to production line technicians, at Novo's major Clayton, North Carolina, plant and other facilities in the state, an analysis of 73 posts and profiles show. The layoffs, while only a small part of a planned 9,000 job cuts globally, underscore how Novo is cutting back even on frontline production in the top market for Wegovy as it looks to sharpen its focus, trim costs, and claw back lost ground in fierce competition with rival Eli Lilly. The cuts, which follow earlier ones focused on the obesity education team in the U.S., come as the administration of President Donald Trump pressures pharmaceutical companies to expand U.S. drug production and create more domestic jobs. The Danish drugmaker last year became Europe's most valuable listed company on unprecedented demand for weight-loss drugs before a sharp share price slide as sales growth slowed. It is now trying...

Amgen on Monday launched direct-to-consumer U.S. sales of its cholesterol medication Repatha at a discounted cash price, becoming the latest pharmaceutical company responding to U.S. political pressure to lower drug prices. The injected drug, with sales of $2.2 billion last year, will have a monthly price of $239, or nearly 60% below its current U.S. list price, the company said. It said the price matches the lowest it now receives in any economically developed country. Amgen was one of 17 major drug companies that received a letter from President Donald Trump in July demanding they charge U.S. patients the same price as people in other high-income countries, create direct-to-consumer channels and increase investment in the U.S. Trump threatened to impose 100% tariffs on branded drugs. In response, Pfizer last week agreed to reduce prescription drug prices for Medicaid, which covers low-income people, to match lower prices overseas and said it would launch direct-to-consumer sales of a handful of its drugs. Pfizer also said it would offer most-favored-nation pricing on new drugs launched in the U.S., and Trump flagged that other drugmakers would follow suit. The Trump administration said it plans to launch, likely early next year, a website called TrumpRx that will help consumers...

(Reuters) -AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo's precision drug Datroway improved survival prospects in patients with an advanced form of breast cancer in a late-stage trial, the drugmakers said on Monday, paving the way for broader approvals. The trial was for patients with a type of aggressive and advanced breast cancer for whom immunotherapy was not an option, AstraZeneca said. The treatment was given early and compared with chemotherapy. The company added that Datroway was the first therapy to significantly improve overall survival in this group, and that it also significantly improved progression-free survival and met the dual main goal of the study. "We expect today's results will mark an inflection point in the treatment of these patients who have the poorest prognosis of any type of breast cancer and urgently need better options," said Susan Galbraith, AstraZeneca's executive vice president, Oncology Haematology R&D. Datroway belongs to a class of medicines called antibody-drug conjugates, also known as "guided-missiles" because they are designed to target only cancer cells while sparing healthy cells, unlike conventional chemotherapy. It works by targeting the TROP2 protein found on the surface of tumour cells of many types of cancer, and is already approved for treating a form of breast cancer and a...

will invest more than $1 billion in India in the coming years to boost manufacturing and supply through local drugmakers, the company said on Monday, as it seeks to tap into skilled workforce to bolster its global manufacturing expansion. The collaborations aim to increase the availability of Lilly's key drugs, including those for obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer's, cancer and autoimmune conditions, the company said. "We are making significant investments to increase manufacturing and medicine supply capacity around the world," Patrik Jonsson, president of Lilly International, said, adding, India is a hub for capability building within its global network. The company, which launched its blockbuster weight-loss drug Mounjaro in India this year, currently does not operate its own manufacturing facility in the country, which hosts several firms that develop and manufacture complex drugs, vials, injectables for larger pharmaceuticals on a contract basis. "Lilly is actively engaging with contract manufacturers in India," the company told Reuters, but did not divulge any further details. Lilly's investment plans in India come at a time when global drugmakers are rushing to bolster U.S. manufacturing capacity after the Trump administration imposed a 100% tariff on imported branded and patented drugs from October 1. Last month, Lilly announced a $5 billion investment in...

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk said it plans to make its new obesity pill available through telehealth platforms like Ro and WeightWatchers once it gets U.S. approval, Bloomberg News reported on Friday. The pill uses the same active ingredient as Novo's popular weight-loss injections Ozempic and Wegovy, and could be available in early 2026, the report said. Novo did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The company is also considering a subscription model where patients commit to six or 12 months of treatment at a discounted price, the report added.

-Rocket Pharmaceuticals said on Friday it has withdrawn its application for U.S. approval of its experimental gene therapy for a rare inherited blood disorder. The therapy RP-L102 was being tested in patients with Fanconi anemia, characterized by impaired bone marrow function which leads to a decrease in the production of blood cells. The company said the move was driven by business strategy and not by concerns about the treatment safety or efficacy. Rocket said it will consider external partnership opportunities for RP-L102.