Roche Diagnostics Corporation has gained approval from Health Canada for its Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) assays to measure three biomarkers in adults aged 55 and over, allowing physicians to diagnose Alzheimer's disease. The Elecsys® beta-Amyloid, Phospho-Tau(181P), and Total-Tau CSF tests can be carried out on automated immunoassay analyzers available across the country. These biomarkers help tra..
Medical technology company Avanos Medical, Inc. has sold its Respiratory Health business to SunMed Group Holdings, LLC in a definitive agreement. The deal includes substantially all of the assets primarily used in the RH business, including fixed assets and inventory, among others. SunMed is a leading North American manufacturer and distributor of consumable medical devices for anesthesia and re..
French AI company Iktos and Japanese firm Curreio have announced a collaboration agreement in the field of new drug discovery, combining generative design technology with cryo-electron microscopy platform to speed up and reduce costs associated with preclinical drug candidate creation for an undisclosed target. Under the agreement, Iktos’ Makya generative AI technology will be used alongside str..
CBRE's U.S. Life Sciences Research Talent 2023 report has identified the top nine emerging markets for researchers in the country, with Columbus, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis taking the top three spots due to their NIH funding of $306m, $262m and $240m respectively. Other data points such as graduation rates and overall growth were also considered in making a comprehensive analysis of each city'..
California-based start-up Bitterroot Bio has launched with a focus on developing immunotherapies for cardiovascular diseases, following a successful $145m series A funding round. The company was founded by Irving Weissman and Nicholas Leeper from the Stanford University School of Medicine in 2021 and is focused on cardio-immunology. Its lead programme, BRB-002 targets CD47/SIRPα pathways underly..
Upstream Bio has closed a $200m Series B funding round to enable the advancement of its investigational antibody UPB-101 for mid-stage studies in asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps. The start-up will also undergo "translational, manufacturing and device development activities" to aid the launch of its Phase III development program. In addition, Thursday’s Series B raise will all..
Pharmaceutical companies Eli Lilly and Takeda are facing a class-action lawsuit over their diabetes drug Actos, which has been certified by a California Federal Judge. The case claims that the drug was marketed without disclosing its risk of bladder cancer, with plaintiffs alleging that both companies misled the FDA about Actos' mechanism to conceal aspects of the drug's safety profile. A Nation..
The FDA is likely to grant full approval for Eisai and Biogen's Leqembi (lecanemab) for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease ahead of an advisory committee vote on the drug. The agency has asked the committee to confirm whether Study 301 results verify lecanemab's clinical benefit, but both the briefing documents and decision will be based on these results. The data from the trial consistently s..
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference showcased exciting new data for oncology treatments, with several drugs showing significant success rates. AstraZeneca's Tagrisso was found to outperform a placebo in trials for EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer, Novartis' Kisqali impressed researchers with its ability to treat early breast cancer, and Merck's Keytruda was more ef..
Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma has partnered with Kate Therapeutics to develop a gene therapy for X-linked myotubular myopathy (XLMTM), a rare and life-threatening neuromuscular disease leading to severe muscle weakness. The partnership aims to reduce the likelihood of severe side effects by using significantly lower doses of viral vectors responsible for delivering genes into p..
