Each year, pulmonary embolisms kill more people in the U.S. than AIDs and breast cancer combined, according to BTG (LON:BTG). Venous clots in the legs or arm break off and travel through a patient’s circulatory system, eventually getting trapped in the lung and blocking the flow of blood. In some cases, this strains the heart’s ability to […]
Drug-Device Combinations
Ocular misses estimates for Q4 earnings, but beats on rev
Shares in Ocular Therapeutix (NSDQ:OCUL) fell today after the biopharmaceutical company missed earnings expectations, but beat sales estimates on Wall Street with its 4th quarter results. The Bedford, Mass.-based company posted losses of -$-12.8 million, or -52¢ per share, on sales of $0.5 million for the 3 months ended Dec. 31, for bottom-line loss of -20.5% on […]
Medtronic launches DCB clinical trial for below-the-knee peripheral artery disease
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) said today that it launched a clinical trial to evaluate the use of its In.Pact paclitaxel-coated percutaneous transluminal angioplasty balloon catheter in patients with below-the-knee peripheral arterial disease. The company treated its 1st patient in the In.Pact BTK study, performing the procedure on a patient with critical limb ischemia. “The 1st patient enrollment in […]
PolyPid wins FDA designation for antibiotic drug reservoir
Pharmaceutical company PolyPid said today that its D-Plex antibiotic drug reservoir won Qualified Infectious Disease Product status from the FDA. Under the designation, the Israel-based company’s product will be eligible for priority review, fast-track status and an additional 5 years of market exclusivity. The D-Plex antibiotic drug reservoir is designed to prevent post-cardiac surgery sternal […]
PharmaJet, Serum Institute partner for needle-free MMR vaccine
PharmaJet inked a partnership with vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India to commercialize needle-free delivery of the MMR vaccine using the Stratis 0.5mL injection system. PharmaJet’s device is designed to administer medication intramuscularly or subcutaneously, without the use of needles. The Chicago-based company touts the technology as a way to prevent cross-contamination between needles and enhance patient compliance. […]
Demand for EpiPen alternatives jumps as states consider access legislation
Prescriptions for EpiPen alternatives such as Kaléo Inc.‘s Auvi-Q device have quadrupled since the beginning of this year, according to data from the Athenahealth Network. The demand for cheaper alternative devices is likely driven by revelations that Mylan (NSDQ:MYL) hiked the price of its EpiPen emergency allergy injector by 500% since it acquired the device in 2007. Generic […]
BTG wins CE Mark for DC Bead Lumi radiopaque drug-eluting bead
BTG (LON:BTG) said today that it won CE Mark clearance in the European Union for its DC Bead Lumi radiopaque drug-eluting bead. The bead is designed to be loaded with doxorubicin or irinotecan to locally treat tumors in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and malignant colorectal cancer metastasised to the liver. The company’s DC Bead Lumi also […]
Vaxess Technologies lands $6m for microneedle vaccines
Vaxess Technologies said today that it won 2 grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation totalling up to $6 million for the development of inactivated polio and live attenuated measles rubella vaccines using the company’s Mimix sustained-release microneedle patch technology. The company’s Mimix technology is designed for sustained, transdermal delivery of vaccines and inmmunotherapies, […]
DNA motors could power molecular machines for drug delivery
Researchers from the University of Alberta have developed nanomachines powered by synthetic DNA motors to improve disease detection and drug delivery. The team’s work was published this week in Nature Communications. The scientists developed the nanomachine using compartments composed of DNA enzyme molecules and substrates. “This nanomachine has the required fuels, DNA tracks, and a molecular switch,” […]
Study: Localized delivery of chemo improves prognosis of recurrent glioblastoma
Researchers from Amrita University in India demonstrated that localized and sustained delivery of a chemotherapeutic agent in brain tumors can improve the prognosis of recurrent glioblastoma. The team’s work was published in Scientific Reports. Although new drugs have been developed for glioblastoma multiforme, the overall survival rate for patients remains dismally low at 12 months, with […]