Mast Therapeutics (NYSE:MSTX) said today that its subsidiary Aires Pharmaceuticals landed a collaborative agreement with Royal Philips (NYSE:PHG) sleep and respiratory care subsidiary Philips Respironics. The agreement covers Philips’ iNeb aerosol drug delivery device and Mast’s lead product candidate, AIR001, a sodium nitrite solution for intermittent inhalation. The iNeb system is a portable, small vibrating mesh technology […]
Drug-Device Combinations
Physics-modeling software solves drug-delivery engineering problem
Software that models the laws of physics is usually used by theoretical physicists. But a multi-physics program based on “1st principles” can be used in real-world applications, as evidenced by a problem that cropped up for Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) while developing needle-based drug-delivery systems. Bernard McGarvey, a senior engineering advisor for the US pharma giant, said the […]
Aerogen touts study of Solo vibrating mesh for aerosol drug delivery
Aerogen today touted results from a study showing a 32% reduction in hospital admissions when patients were treated using its Solo vibrating mesh aerosol drug delivery system, compared to a small-volume nebulizer. The Chicago-based company’s vibrating mesh is used to treat respiratory disorders such as COPD, asthma, or influenza, all of which are exacerbated in the […]
Consort Medical’s Bespak inks Syrina auto-injector development deal
Consort Medical (LON:CSRT) subsidiary Bespak said today that it inked a development agreement with an undisclosed biopharmaceutical company for its Syrina auto-injector. The deal makes Bespak responsible for early-stage development of the auto-injector. If the undisclosed partner agrees to commercialize the developed product, both parties will enter into a full commercial supply agreement, the company said. Rather […]
Ocular Therapeutix inks $315 deal with Regeneron
Ocular Therapeutix (NSDQ:OCUL) said today that it landed a licensing deal with Regeneron (NSDQ:REGN) to develop a sustained-release version of Regeneron’s aflibercept (Eylea), a therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration. The deal will cost Regeneron $10 million up front, and in total could cost the Tarrytown, N.Y.-based biotech $315 million if regulatory and commercialization milestones are met. The terms […]
SEC launches probe, investors file suit against Mylan over EpiPen pricing
Despite a $465 million settlement with the U.S. Justice Dept., Mylan (NSDQ:MYL) is still under fire for misclassifying its EpiPen auto-injector with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Last week, the Securities & Exchange Commission’s enforcement division launched an investigation into the Canonsburg, Pa.-based company’s history with CMS; yesterday investors filed a purported class […]
Novocure enrolls 1st patient in Phase III brain metastases trial
Novocure (NSDQ:NVCR) said that the 1st patient has been enrolled in a Phase III pivotal trial of its tumor-treating field technology in combination with radiosurgery to treat brain metastases from non-small-cell lung cancer. The St. Helier, N.J.-based company’s tumor treating fields (TTFields) are low-intensity, intermediate-frequency, alternating electric fields designed to disrupt cell division within cancer cells. Novocure’s commercial product, Optune, […]
Engineered “building blocks” could form complex nano-structures
A team of researchers from the University of Melbourne have developed a method to turn particles into “building blocks” for complex nano-structures, according to a study published in Nature Nanotechnology. “Nano-objects are difficult to manipulate, as they’re too tiny to see directly by eye, far too small to hold, and often have incompatible surfaces for assembling […]
Lupin, MonoSol Rx ink licensing deal for pediatric products
Lupin Pharmaceutical (NSE:LUPIN) said last week that it inked a licensing agreement with MonoSol Rx to develop pediatric products using MonoSol’s drug-delivery technology. Warren, N.J.-based MonoSol touts its dissolvable film, PharmaFilm, as a quick-dissolving system that’s easy to administer and masked by taste. The sublingual film is designed to support pediatric populations that often have trouble swallowing […]
CMS finds Mylan overcharged Medicaid for EpiPens for years
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said this week that Mylan Pharmaceuticals (NSDQ:MYL) has been overcharging Medicaid for its EpiPen auto-injector for years, despite being warned that it should have paid bigger rebates. CMS said that between 2011 and 2015, Medicaid spent $797 million on the epinephrine auto-injector after deducting rebates, marking the 1st […]
