Pulmatrix (NSDQ:PULM) said today that the FDA approved a Phase II trial of the company’s inhaled formulation of the anti-fungal drug itraconazole for the treatment of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis in people with asthma. The Lexington, Mass.-based company plans to kick off the trial in the first half of 2019, with top-line data expected in the second […]
Clinical Trials
FDA publishes finalized guidance for buprenorphine depots
The FDA this week published a finalized guidance document for companies developing new buprenorphine depot products for the treatment of opioid use disorder. The agency is hoping to boost the development of modified-release buprenorphine products, like drug-eluting implants. In the document, the FDA detailed the studies needed to support approval for these products through the 505(b)(2) […]
Audion touts Ph1 results for hearing loss drug
Audion Therapeutics touted positive results yesterday from a Phase I trial of the company’s hearing loss drug. In 15 people with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss, Audion tested the safety and tolerability of its LY3056480 mediated Notch inhibitor. The drug is designed to regenerate the inner ear sensory hair cells that are lost over […]
LINC 2019: Medtronic, Boston Scientific back paclitaxel devices amid safety probe
Amid concerns about a potential link between paclitaxel devices and heightened long-term mortality rates, Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) and other device-makers doubled down on their products’ safety at this year’s Leipzig Interventional Course in Germany. Medtronic presented a patient-level survival analysis that included 1,837 patients enrolled in its In.Pact Admiral clinical program. The analysis assessed all-cause mortality across […]
FDA probes paclitaxel-eluting stents, balloons
The FDA wrote a letter to healthcare providers yesterday on the heels of a meta-analysis that suggested an increased mortality rate after two years in people with peripheral artery disease who were treated with paclitaxel-coated and paclitaxel-eluting devices compared to bare devices. The agency is “evaluating” the new information presented by the study and recommended […]
Medtronic kicks off study for pain pump
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) said today that it enrolled the first patient in a study to assess the use of its SynchroMed II intrathecal drug delivery system as an alternative to oral opioids. The 100-patient Embrace TDD study is slated to follow patients who have weaned off all oral opioids, in the hopes of positioning the SynchroMed II […]
QT Vascular expands pivotal trial of Chocolate Touch DCB
QT Vascular said today that the FDA approved the company’s request to expand an on-going pivotal study of its Chocolate Touch drug-coated balloon to include the use of atherectomy for lesion preparation. The U.S. regulatory agency also approved the addition of subgroup analysis related to the use of atherectomy. The pivotal study of QT Vascular’s […]
Researchers question use of antibiotic shunts in hydrocephalus patients
Led by neurosurgeon Dr. Benjamin Warf, a team of researchers from Boston Children’s Hospital published a study this month questioning the benefits of using shunts impregnated with antibiotics to treat hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus, which affects roughly 400,000 children each year, is characterized by fluid accumulation in the brain. Surgeons use shunts to drain the patient’s excess […]
Report: Medtronic, Boston Scientific stand by paclitaxel-eluting devices despite JAHA study
Major medtech players Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) and Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) continue to support the use of their paclitaxel-eluting devices in the legs after a study released last month indicated a link between the devices and an increased mortality rate, according to a Star Tribune report. In the meta-analysis, researchers led by Dr. Konstantinos Katsanos analyzed data from 28 […]
Nobilis files IND for trial to study drug-device PTSD therapy
Nobilis Therapeutics said yesterday that it filed an investigational new drug application with the FDA to kick off a Phase IIb trial of its NBTX-001 drug-device PTSD therapy. The Portland, Ore.-based company is developing a portable inhalation device designed to deliver a xenon gas mixture. Nobilis plans to conduct a 200-patient clinical trial with both […]