Drugs

EMD Serono Gains ‘Breakthrough’ for Lung Cancer Drug

FDA has granted EMD Serono a breakthrough therapy designation for its investigational targeted therapy tepotinib in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that exhibit MET exon 14 skipping alterations and who have progressed following platinum-based cancer therapy. The designation was based on data showing that tepotinib was “associated with robust objective responses with durability that has not previously been seen in patients with metastatic NSCLC harboring MET exon 14 skipping alterations,” the company says. EMD describes tepotinib as an investigational oral MET kinase inhibitor that is designed to inhibit the oncogenic signaling caused by MET (gene) alterations, including both MET exon 14 skipping alterations and MET amplifications, or MET protein over-expression.

Rasonque OK’d Across KRAS Mutations Despite Clinical Response Differences

FDA granted approval to Revolution Medicines' Rasonque (daraxonrasib) for metastatic pancreatic cancer despite substantial differences in treatment responses among patients with different KRAS mutations and limited evidence of effectiveness in patients without RAS mutations, according to a newly released approval document. The 321-page review shows that FDA considered

FDA Safety Concerns Complicate Plan to Expand Peptide Compounding

The Trump Administration is developing a temporary policy that would allow compounding pharmacies to dispense certain unapproved peptides despite earlier FDA scientific assessments finding insufficient evidence of their safety and effectiveness, setting up a potential conflict between administration policy and the agency's scientific reviewers. Federal officials are considering

DoJ Enforcement Directive Signals More Scrutiny of FDA-Regulated Firms

A new Department of Justice directive identifying violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) among potential targets for fraud enforcement could expose FDA-regulated firms to increased federal investigations and criminal prosecutions, according to an analysis by attorneys at Holland & Knight. The 10/1 directive outlines

Guide on Biosimilar Postapproval Manufacturing Changes

FDA has released a final guidance entitled “Postapproval Manufacturing Changes to Biosimilar and Interchangeable Biosimilar Products — Questions and Answers.” The document explains how manufacturers should document and report changes to approved biosimilars, including changes involving manufacturing processes, production facilities, dosage forms and strengths. Regarding information required for postapproval manufacturing changes,

Read more

Rasonque OK’d Across KRAS Mutations Despite Clinical Response Differences

FDA Safety Concerns Complicate Plan to Expand Peptide Compounding

DoJ Enforcement Directive Signals More Scrutiny of FDA-Regulated Firms

Guide on Biosimilar Postapproval Manufacturing Changes