The Trump budget plan to slash more than 18% from the budget for the National Institutes of Health sent pharmaceutical stocks down today on Wall Street as investors reacted to the proposal. The budget proposal, released today, would cut the NIH budget by $5.8 billion, to $25.9 billion – an 18.3% cut. The proposal would also introduce […]
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Report: Increase in allergy auto-injector scripts, with little guidance on optimal use
Prescriptions of emergency allergy auto-injectors have increased over the last decade, according to research published in the British Journal of General Practice, but there is little guidance for general practitioners on the optimal use of these devices. The most recent guidelines suggest that each child at risk of anaphylaxis should be given no more than 2 devices […]
Penn State researchers deliver melanoma drug combo using nanoparticles
Researchers from the Penn State College of Medicine developed a method to deliver a combination of drugs using nanoparticles in the hopes of preventing melanoma cancer cells from developing treatment-resistance. Their work was published in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics and Cancer Letters. The team’s CelePlum-777 localized around cancer tumors and delivered a specific ratio of an anti-inflammatory, Celecoxib, and a toxin, Plumbagin, […]
Cohero Health oversubscribes Series A for connected respiratory tech
Cohero Health said today that it oversubscribed its $9 million Series A round with investments from Samsung Next and Omron Healthcare The latest contributions will be used to support commercialization of hardware and software for its BreatheSmart connected respiratory disease management platform, the N.Y.-based company said. “BreatheSmart from Cohero Health provides both connected hardware and software as […]
FDA panel rules that benefits of Endo’s Opana opioid no longer outweigh risks
An FDA advisory panel ruled yesterday that the benefits of Endo Pharmaceutical‘s opioid painkiller, Opana ER, no longer outweigh its risks. The painkiller has been linked to a 2015 HIV outbreak in Indiana after people addicted to opioids shared needles while injecting Opana. The panel voted 18 to 8 that the drug’s benefits do not […]
3D printing is taking medical marijuana to a whole new level
3D printing is aiding an Israel-based company in the development and production of special selective-dose inhalers for medical marijuana and other medicinal plants. Nano Dimension (Ness Ziona, Israel)—which makes 3D printers for printed circuit boards—announced today that it has leased a DragonFly 2020 3D printer to Syqe Medical (Tel Aviv, Israel). Syqe boasts that it has created the […]
Medtronic’s SynchroMed woes delay United Therapeutic’s Remodulin
Shares in United Therapeutics (NSDQ:UTHR) fell -3% yesterday on a possible delay for the release of a programmable infusion pump for its drug, Remodulin. Yesterday, the FDA updated Medtronic‘s (NYSE:MDT) Class I recall for the company’s SynchroMed II and SynchroMed EL implantable drug pumps. RBC Capital reportedly said the recall puts United Therapeutics at heightened risk for […]
Prometra micro-infusion device used to deliver meds directly to brain in epilepsy trial
Flowonix Medical and Cerebral Therapeutics said today that the 1st patients were implanted with the Prometra II programmable infusion system in a clinical trial evaluating the pump in patients with refractory epilepsy. The Address trial marks the 1st time a programmable, implantable pump has been used to deliver medication, in this case valproate, directly to […]
Ocular touts patient experience data for Dextenza implant
Ocular Therapeutix (NSDQ:OCUL) touted data today from a patient experience study of its Dextenza post-surgical pain relief implant. The study was published in Patient Preference and Adherence. The Bedford, Mass.-based company’s hydrogel plug, inserted into a patient’s tear duct, is designed to deliver a sustained dose of dexamethasone over 4 weeks following ophthalmic surgery. After the […]
FDA announces updates to Medtronic’s Class I recall for SynchroMed drug pumps
The FDA today updated Medtronic’s Class I recall for the company’s SynchroMed II and SynchroMed EL implantable drug pumps, which were designed to locally treat primary or metastatic cancer, chronic pain, and severe spasticity. The pumps were recalled in 2013 because they unintentionally delivered drugs during the priming bolus procedure and patients were at risk for […]