Indian generics manufacturer Aurobindo is having to pull another product off the shelves.
According to the FDA, the company’s US branch, Aurobindo Pharma USA, has issued a voluntary recall of two batches of the heart medication Quinapril. The recall was issued over a “Nitrosamine Drug Substance Related Impurity” above the proposed limit.
Nitrosamines, an organic chemical common in water or foods, can increase the risk of cancer if people are exposed to them over an extended period. The FDA reported that Aurobindo Pharma USA has not received any reports of adverse effects related to the recall.
The FDA advises patients taking Quinapril to consult a physician or a healthcare provider as to whether they should continue taking the drug or if an alternative needs to be sourced.
The FDA announcement said:
“Qualanex, on behalf of Aurobindo Pharma USA, Inc., will be notifying its distributors and customers by phone and in writing to immediately discontinue distribution of the specific lots being recalled and to notify their sub-accounts,”
Aurobindo is also arranging for the return of all recalled products as well.
Any general questions regarding the recall should contact this number: 1-888-504- 2014, and any adverse effects may be reported to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program.
Nitrosamines have managed to pull products off the shelves before. Last year, Pfizer’s anti-smoking drug Chantix was recalled at a wide rate over elevated levels of nitrosamines. This also came as the FDA had recently made a major revision to its guidance for drug manufacturing facilities, noting that they must now document nitrosamines along with nitrosating agents, nitrates and azides.
For Aurobindo, the company has recalled several products this year including moxifloxacin ophthalmic solution — an antibiotic used to treat eye infections like bacterial conjunctivitis. In January, Aurobindo voluntarily recalled a lot of polymyxin B for injection after a hair was found in a vial within the lot.
The company, which has been subject to several FDA inspections, also shut down its site in Dayton, New Jersey earlier this year, eliminating 99 jobs in the process.
The story has been updated to reflect that two batches of the drug were recalled.
On Friday afternoon, the FDA’s oncology drug advisory committee unanimously voted 16-0 against the approval of Y-mAbs’ experimental drug for CNS metastases in pediatric neuroblastoma patients. The key issue the FDA pointed to was that the external control group for Y-mAbs’ pivotal study was very different from the treatment group at baseline, an issue it highlighted in briefing docs released yesterday.
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Digital medicine has become a major component in an ever-evolving healthcare environment. You’re likely already familiar with digital technologies such as telehealth platforms and electronic health records. Plus, there are hundreds of thousands of wellness apps available to anyone on smartphone app stores.
But there’s a reason digital medicine and even more specifically, digital therapeutics exist in a subcategory of their own. A digital therapeutic is typically described as an evidenced-based software solution, which are held to the same standards of regulatory oversight as more traditional medical devices. Digital Therapeutics can positively impact the trajectory of a patient’s disease and are approved to deliver specific clinical outcomes. In other words, Digital Therapeutics are viewed as clinically validated software solutions used by clinicians to treat, manage, and prevent a broad spectrum of diseases and disorders. This differs significantly from consumer health apps that track health or aid in the care process in some way.
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Only a few weeks after the FDA recognized a shortage of Adderall, another crucial drug is in low supply, this time the antibiotic amoxicillin.
According to the American Society of Health System Pharmacists’ (AHSP) drug shortage list, three manufacturers are posting shortages of the oral version of the drug. The list includes Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Teva and Sandoz, which are reporting low supplies of multiple dosage amounts. The companies did not post a reason for the shortages.
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Following the US’ lead, the EMA is cutting back on the use of JAK inhibitors for some patients over a suite of safety concerns.
The EMA’s safety committee issued new guidance on Friday, recommending that a group of JAK inhibitors used for chronic inflammatory disorders are only used in certain at-risk patients if no alternatives are available.
That includes patients 65 years and older, those at risk of major heart problems, those who smoke or who have extensively in the past and those at risk of cancer. Patients at risk of blood clots in the lungs and deep veins (VTE) should take caution, the committee says, while recommending lower doses for some patients at risk of VTE, cancer or major heart problems.
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Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, the pharma market’s leader in RNAi therapies, reported its third quarter earnings Thursday, updating shareholders on its pipeline progress and initial sales figures for the recently approved vutrisiran (marketed as Amvuttra).
But tucked away near the bottom of its report, the company revealed it would scrap plans to launch a Phase III trial for vutrisiran in the rare Stargardt disease, appearing to blame President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act in the process.
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As third quarter numbers rolled in, Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson alluded to the French pharma’s objectives moving forward.
Kicking off a call Friday morning with investors and analysts, Hudson wasted little time when it came to discussing President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and its impact on drug prices. Among other things, the Sanofi chief said from his perspective, the implementation of the Act’s drug policies will likely “create significant uncertainties across our industry with regards to sustainable investment in science and innovation, and artificially influence future R&D decisions.” Additionally, he said the bill does not address what he called “core concerns,” specifically around access to certain medicines and affordability.
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The FDA is changing up its marketing rules for emergency use Covid treatments. Six drugmakers can now more broadly promote their Covid therapies, including Pfizer’s Paxlovid and AstraZeneca’s Evusheld.
However, that doesn’t mean the companies are ready to roll out new ads. Pfizer and AstraZeneca declined comment, and a spokesperson for Eli Lilly — both baricitinib and bebtelovimab were included in the FDA memo — said in an email simply that “Lilly has and will continue to comply with all FDA rules regarding the advertising and promotion of EUA treatments.”
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Even back in the day as the singer for Chester French, a two-man indie pop group that sporadically flared into public sight with songs like “She Loves Everybody,” DA Wallach had a rep as someone who knew people. Or could get to know them.
People like billionaire Ron Burkle, who created a tech fund with Wallach called Inevitable Ventures. Or Sean “Diddy” Combs, who connected the budding entrepreneur with Burkle as Wallach became an early investor in and “singer-in-residence” for Spotify.
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