The FDA has approved Sunovion Pharmaceutical‘s Lonhala Magnair system for the long-term treatment of airflow obstruction in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the company reported today. The drug-device combo, also known as Sun-101/eFlow, is the first nebulized long-acting muscarinic antagonist approved for the treatment of COPD in the U.S. The system includes a portable […]
Pharmaceuticals
Novo Nordisk’s once-weekly Type II diabetes injection wins FDA nod
Novo Nordisk‘s (NYSE:NVO) once-weekly semaglutide injection, Ozempic, has won FDA approval as a therapy for adults with Type II diabetes, the insulin-maker reported today. The injection, given in a pre-filled pen, is a GLP-1 analogue – a drug that trigger the production of insulin, while lessening appetite and food intake. The product won an unanimous […]
Lilly launches trial for automated insulin delivery system
Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) yesterday dosed the first patient in a trial of its automated insulin delivery system. The system is a hybrid closed-loop platform that includes a connected insulin pump, a dosing algorithm and a continuous glucose monitor. “This trial is a significant step forward for Lilly’s Connected Care program, moving the Connected Diabetes Ecosystem closer […]
Dance Biopharm, Phillips-Medisize ink deal for inhaled insulin device
Privately-held biotech Dance Biopharm and Phillips-Medisize have entered into a joint development deal for a connected drug-delivery device for inhaled insulin. The agreement gives Phillips-Medisize, which already designs and manufactures devices for Dance, the development work for future enhancements of Dance’s devices, as well as commercial manufacturing of the inhaled insulin delivery device when it […]
Silicone patch for laser-assisted tattoo removal wins new FDA clearance
Merz North America said today that its Describe PFD patch was cleared by the FDA for all commonly-used lasers. The single-use, perfluorodecalin-infused patch is used during laser-assisted tattoo removal to allow for multiple passes in a single treatment session. Merz’s dual-layer patch was first cleared by the FDA in April 2015 for use with the 755 […]
Sanofi touts head-to-head comparison of long-acting insulin products
Sanofi‘s (NYSE:SNY) long-acting insulin glargine, Toujeo, met the primary objective of a head-to-head trial comparing it to Novo Nordisk‘s (NYSE:NVO) insulin degludec, Tresiba, the company reported today. The insulin-maker said it plans to report full results from the Bright trial sometime next year. The study’s primary objective was to determine if Toujeo had a similar […]
CVS Health to buy Aetna in $69B merger
CVS Health (NYSE:CVS) plans to buy health insurer Aetna (NYSE:AET) in a $69 billion merger, according to a report from The New York Times. The deal comes as companies like Amazon (NSDQ:AMZN), which is reportedly trying to launch into the pharmacy business, are looking to change the way that consumers interact with the healthcare industry. The […]
CareFusion warns customers about Alaris syringe pump alarm
CareFusion issued a warning to customers of its Alaris syringe drug pump system, cautioning them that pumps made before 2008 may display an error message that could stop the pump from working. The company wrote that it has received a report from a customer that the device displayed a re-occurring internal malfunction error code, PL3, […]
Novocure nabs reimbursement for Optune in Japan
Novocure (NSDQ:NVCR) shares were up this morning after the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare agreed to reimburse for Optune as a treatment for newly-diagnosed glioblastoma. The Optune device delivers low-intensity, intermediate frequency, alternating electric fields, called “Tumor Treating Fields,” to inhibit cancer cell replication. As a treatment for newly-diagnosed glioblastoma, Novocure combines its device with the […]
Smith & Nephew deals topical anesthetic gel to Alliance Pharma
Alliance Pharma (LON:APH) has acquired the rights to Smith & Nephew‘s (NYSE:SNN) anesthetic gel Ametop for $7.5 million, according to the specialty pharmaceutical company. The product, which Smith & Nephew has been selling in the U.K., Ireland, New Zealand and Canada for at least 10 years, is designed to numb a patient’s skin before an injection. […]