Pharmaceutical industry leaders are increasingly focused on infectious diseases amid the COVID-19 pandemic and growing concern over treatment-resistant superbugs. In July, a group of drugmakers including Pfizer announced they raised almost $1 billion for a partnership promising to deliver two to four new antibiotics by 2030.
Apart from vaccines, Pfizer’s anti-infective pipeline was thin before the Amplyx acquisition, with a treatment for COVID-19 in Phase 1 studies and an antibiotic in Phase 3. But the company’s head of hospital products, Angela Lukin, said Wednesday that Pfizer is “deeply committed” to its infectious disease program.
Fosmanogepix could prove to be a weapon against fungal infections because of its mechanism of action, Pfizer said. The Food and Drug Administration hasn’t approved a new class of antifungal therapies in almost 20 years. Researchers are currently studying both oral and intravenous forms of the drug, which in theory would help patients transition from the hospital to home. READ MORE
By Kristin Jensen
Source: biopharmadive.com
Echosens, a high-technology company offering liver diagnostic solutions, and Novo Nordisk A/S, a leading global healthcare company, announced a partnership to advance early diagnosis of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and increase awareness of the disease among patients, healthcare providers and other stakeholders.
Positive opinion based on Phase 3 ADAPT trial showing efgartigimod provided clinically meaningful improvements in strength and quality of life measures. If approved, efgartigimod will be the first neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) blocker for the treatment of adults in Europe living with rare neuromuscular disease generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG).
Galapagos CEO Paul Stoffels, M.D., has finally taken the plunge on M&A. The newly minted chief executive has signed not one but two deals in an attempt to right the ship, bringing two small biotechs aboard for a combined 239 million euros ($251.4 million).
