8
May
2017
Tag: commercialization
2
May
2017
Bionest
A Look at Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: Part 1 – Marathon Pharmaceuticals, PTC Therapeutics, and Drug Pricing
In February of this year, Marathon Pharmaceuticals received approval for Emflaza (deflazacort) tablets and oral suspension for the treatment of patients over the age of five years with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), regardless of the particular genetic mutation associated with their condition. The drug — an older corticosteroid with no patent protection which has...
17
Apr
2017
Bionest
Reflecting on AACR
The American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting is always a source of major news and discussion on the oncology research front, and the 2017 meeting held earlier this month was no exception. One area of particular interest was the encouraging data on long-term survival that is emerging for some patients treated with immuno-oncology...
30
Mar
2017
Bionest
Alzheimer’s Disease Part Three: Meeting 2025 Goals
In early 2011, the National Alzheimer’s Project was formed — a strategic plan aimed at addressing the looming health care crisis posed by the disease and the aging population. Its aim: to coordinate research efforts across the U.S. federal government with the goal of preventing or effectively treating Alzheimer’s Disease by 2025. Since then,...
1
Feb
2017
Bionest
Communicating Value
— Robert J. Easton, Co-Chairman, Bionest Partners During the annual January gathering of the biopharma world in San Francisco this year, in-coming President Donald J. Trump put drug developers on notice and sent pharmaceutical and biotechnology stock prices plunging by accusing the industry of “getting away with murder” with respect to drug pricing. ...
16
Jan
2017
Bionest
FDA Grants Priority Review for KEYTRUDA® IN MSI-H Cancers
On November 28, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Priority Review to Merck’s Supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) in the new indication of microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) cancer. MSI-H is a biomarker caused by a deficiency in a cell’s ability to repair errors in DNA sequences that occur during cell division. The...
21
Dec
2016
Bionest
21st Century Cures Act Heads for Signing, with Aim of Boosting Research and Easing Drug Approvals
On December 13, President Barack Obama signed the 21st Century Cures Act. The landmark bi-partisan health and science bill, which passed the U.S. Senate by a vote of 94 to 5, provides $6.3 billion in funding over 10 years, including $4.8 billion to the National Institutes of Health in support of such programs as...
28
Nov
2016
Bionest
No Matter What You Think of the U.S. Election Outcome…
By Alain J. Gilbert, Co-Chair, Bionest Partners The U.S. Presidential election is over. No matter how you personally feel about the outcome, the fact of Donald Trump’s election is likely to be positive for the healthcare industry and biopharma. The reason: the issue of new drug pricing is not going to be a top...
21
Sep
2016
Bionest
Mapping the Brain: Dawn of a New Era for Neuroscience Research?
On July 20, a team of neuroscience researchers from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and other centers published a precise new brain map in Nature — an outcome of the White House BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) initiative, first announced in 2013. The new map draws in part on the brain’s internal...
14
Sep
2016