Researchers from Australia and the UK have developed virus-like nanoparticles to target and deliver drugs to cancer cells. The team’s work, which was published in the journal ACS Nano, showed that the particle could be produced in plants and that it can shuttle small molecules to cancer cells for targeted treatment. The team, lead by Frank […]
Biostage prices $8m offering for bioengineered organ implant
Biostage (NSDQ:BSTG), a 27-person biotech based in Holliston, Mass., is developing technology to regrow esophageal tissue in patients that have esophageal cancer or atresia. Last week, the company priced a public offering at ¢40 per share of common stock, expecting to bring in $8 million from the round. The current standard of care for resectable […]
Pfizer appeals $107m fine for anti-epilepsy drug prices in UK
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Flynn Pharma have appealed the record $107 million (£84.2 million) and $6.5 million (£5.2 million) fines imposed by the U.K. Competition & Markets Authority in December for the companies’ massive price hikes to their unbranded versions of anti-epilepsy drug Epanutin. In its appeal, Pfizer claims that the regulator did not consider market realities when […]
PharmaJet expands needle-free delivery of influenza vaccines
PharmaJet said today that a trivalent and quadrivalent influenza vaccine is available with its Stratis needle-free injector for this year’s flu season. PharmaJet’s device is designed to administer medication intramuscularly or subcutaneously, without the use of needles. The Chicago-based company touts the technology as a way to prevent cross-contamination between needles and enhance patient compliance. Get the […]
ICU Medical touts dosing errors study
ICU Medical (NSDQ:ICUI) said today that a multi-hospital study showed improvements in potentially catastrophic dosing errors and drug library compliance when its Plum infusion pumps and Hospira (NYSE:HSP) MedNet safety software were integrated with the hospitals’ electronic medical records. The rate of potentially catastrophic dosing errors fell by 52% after smart-pump EMR integration, the study found, […]
Abbott touts association between monitoring and improved glucose control
Abbott (NYSE:ABT) touted results today from real-world use data for its FreeStyle Libre blood glucose monitoring system. The data showed that people using its FreeStyle Libre system to monitor their glucose levels spend less time in hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia and have improved average glucose levels. More than 50,000 diabetes patients using the FreeStyle Libre system checked […]
Early collaboration is key in drug-device development, experts say
While pharmaceutical companies and medical device firms know that working together is a vital part of doing business, they “live in 2 different world in many ways,” Minnetronix co-founder Dirk Smith said last week at the annual Drug Delivery Partnerships conference. From development timelines to regulatory approval pathways, it can sometimes seem like pharma and medtech companies are […]
Actelion reports income, revenue growth in FY2016
(Reuters) – Swiss drugmaker Actelion‘s 2016 core net income rose 27 percent on accelerating sales of its newer medicines to treat deadly pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), it said on Tuesday. Core net income rose to 881 million Swiss francs ($877.8 million) from 693 million francs in the previous year, the company said in a statement. […]
Valeant, Ackman agree to split costs in shareholders class action
Valeant Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:VRX, TSE:VRX) and William Ackman’s hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management reportedly agreed to split litigation costs in a class action lawsuit brought on by shareholders over an alleged insider trading scheme in Allergan (NYSE:AGN)’s 2014 takeover bid. In June 2014, Valeant offered a tender bid for Allergan, which was followed by a 7 month-long […]
Tiny magnetic implant delivers drug locally
Researchers from the University of British Columbia have developed a magnetic drug implant that measures just 6 millimeters in diameter and can deliver a drug locally to a targeted tissue. The team’s work was published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials. The device is a silicone sponge with magnetic carbonyl iron particles, wrapped in a round […]
Pixium logs German reimbursement win for Iris II ‘bionic eye’
Pixium Vision (EPA:PIX) said today that its Iris II ‘bionic eye’ won NUB 1 reimbursement status from the German Institute for the Hospital Remuneration System. The company’s epi-retinal implant has 150 electrodes and a bio-inspired camera intended for patients who have lost sight due to retinitis pigmentosa. A computer processes images captured by the camera and […]