Executives from nine different drug companies today announced a pledge to ensure safety with a potential COVID-19 vaccine. The CEOs of AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN), BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX), GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), Merck (NYSE:MRK), Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA), Novavax (NSDQ:NVAX), Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Sanofi (NYSE:SNY), all of whom are developing vaccine candidates, all signed the pledge, which vows to “uphold the integrity of the scientific process” […]
Merck
The most innovative pharmaceutical agents of 2020
The Galien Foundation recently announced nominees for most innovative pharmaceutical agents for its 14th Annual Prix Galien USA Awards. The foundation bestows the Prix Galien Award annually to examples of outstanding biomedical, pharmaceutical drugs and medical technology products that are designed to improve the human condition. “As we celebrate 50 years of the Prix Galien process, […]
MedTech 100 roundup: Another rebound as markets continue to fluctuate
Medtech stocks rebounded from a significant dip earlier in June last week, continuing to highlight the topsy-turvy nature of the markets during the COVID-19 pandemic. MassDevice’s MedTech 100 Index — which includes stocks of the world’s largest medical device companies — sat at 85.00 points at the end of last week (June 19). That total represents […]
Merck acquires Themis to speed COVID-19 vaccine development
Merck (NYSE:MRK) announced today that it completed the acquisition of vaccine and immune-modulation therapy developer Themis for an undisclosed amount. In connection with the acquisition, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission granted early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, while Merck gained merger control from the Austrian Federal Competition Authority, […]
Merck eyes tiny patches as a vaccine delivery method
Merck has exercised its option to use Vaxxas‘ High Density Microarray Patch (HD-MAP) platform as a delivery platform for a vaccine candidate, the companies announced today. The companies did not disclose what the vaccine candidate is supposed to treat. But Merck this month announced two COVID-19 vaccine development efforts: a collaboration with IAVI and plans […]
RefleXion, Merck team up on late-stage cancer study
RefleXion announced today that it entered into a clinical collaboration with Merck to evaluate Merck’s (NYSE:MRK) Keytruda anti-PD-1 therapy in clinical trials. Hayward, Calif.-based therapeutic oncology company RefleXion is joining forces with Merck to evaluate Keytruda’s safety and efficacy in combination with RefleXion’s biology-guided radiotherapy (BgRT) in multiple late-stage cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer, in […]
Merck, IAVI work to develop COVID-19 vaccine
Merck (NYSE:MRK) and IAVI announced today that they are collaborating to develop an investigational vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 for preventing COVID-19. The vaccine candidate is slated to use the recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) technology used as the basis for Merck’s Ervebo Ebola Zaire virus vaccine, which was the first such vaccine to be approved for use in humans, […]
Prasco launches generic NuvaRing
Prasco this week said it launched its authorized generic NuvaRing. The generic etonogestrel/ethinyl vaginal ring is a small, flexible vaginal ring that is used by women as a form of birth control. The NuvaRing releases a continuous low dose of hormones for three weeks at a time. Get the full story on our sister site, Drug […]
Sanuwave confirms acting CEO Richardson as company head | Personnel Moves – December 12, 2018
Sanuwave said late last month that it lifted acting CEO and board chair Kevin Richardson to a permanent position in the corner office. Richardson joined the Suwanee, Ga.-based company in 2009 as board chair, and has served as acting CEO since 2014. He also served as managing partner of investment management firm Prides Capital from […]
FDA grants breakthrough status to joint Merck-Bayer AI program
Merck and Bayer have been granted FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for the collaborative Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension (CTEPH) Artificial Intelligence Pattern Recognition software. CTEPH can be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease symptoms. CTEPH affects five people per million annually worldwide. Computed tomography pulmonary angiography and […]
GlucoMe, Merck ink Vietnamese diabetes study deal
GlucoMe said last week it inked a pilot collaboration deal with Merck (NYSE:MRK) looking to evaluate GlucoMe’s digital diabetes platform at several hospitals in Vietnam. Israel-based GlucoMe said that the project was scheduled to begin this month, and that it will compare GlucoMe’s digital diabetes care system against the current standard of care in the country. Read […]
