Breaking WORLD PHARMA NEWS

Taurine may be a key to longer and healthier life

A deficiency of taurine - a nutrient produced in the body and found in many foods - is a driver of aging in animals, according to a new study led by Columbia researchers and involving dozens of aging researchers around the world.

The same study also found that taurine supplements can slow down the aging process in worms, mice, and monkeys and can even extend the healthy lifespans of middle-aged mice by up to 12%.

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Bayer strengthens gene therapy portfolio with lipid nanoparticle technology from Acuitas Therapeutics

Bayer AG is joining forces with Acuitas Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company specializing in the development of lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery systems for molecular therapeutics. Acuitas' LNP technology will support Bayer's in vivo gene editing and protein replacement programs by specifically delivering RNA payloads to the desired target organ, the liver.

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FDA announces additional steps to modernize clinical trials

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is announcing the availability of a draft guidance with updated recommendations for good clinical practices (GCPs) aimed at modernizing the design and conduct of clinical trials, making them more agile without compromising data integrity or participant protections. The updates are intended to help pave the way for more efficient clinical trials to facilitate the development of medical products.

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New England Journal of Medicine publishes results from Phase 3 induction and maintenance programs evaluating upadacitinib (RINVOQ®) in Crohn's disease

AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) announced the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) published results from the pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials - U-EXCEL, U-EXCEED and U-ENDURE - evaluating upadacitinib (RINVOQ®) in adult patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease who have had an inadequate response, lost response or were intolerant to conventional therapy or a biologic agent.

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New drug delays progression of glioma, a deadly brain cancer

In an international study co-led by UCLA, scientists have shown that a new targeted therapy drug can extend the amount of time people with a subtype of glioma are on treatment without their cancer worsening. The finding suggests a possible new treatment option for people with the slow-growing but deadly brain tumor.

The team found the drug vorasidenib more than doubled progression-free survival in people with recurrent grade 2 glioma with IDH1 and IDH2 mutations.

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Insilico Medicine receives IND approval for novel AI-designed USP1 inhibitor for cancer

Insilico Medicine ("Insilico"), a generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven clinical stage drug discovery company, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the initial investigational new drug (IND) application for ISM3091 for the treatment of patients with solid tumors. This is Insilico's first oncology program to advance to the clinical validation stage.

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U.S. FDA approves ABRYSVO™, Pfizer's vaccine for the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in older adults

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ABRYSVO™ (Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine), the company's bivalent RSV prefusion F (RSVpreF) vaccine, for the prevention of lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV in individuals 60 years and older.

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Bayer launches unit to develop new precision health consumer products

The Consumer Health Division of Bayer has launched a business unit focused on developing new Precision Health products across its range of everyday health categories. Bayer will prioritize developing products that enable people to take greater control of their own personal health through digital solutions that facilitate more informed choices based on personal insights and novel delivery mechanisms.

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Researchers use ‘natural’ system to identify proteins most useful for developing an effective HIV vaccine

Since it was identified in 1984 as the cause of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has infected more than 80 million people and been responsible for some 40 million deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Currently, the WHO reports more than 38 million people globally live with the retrovirus, and each year, another 1 million new cases are diagnosed.

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New blood biomarker can predict if cognitively healthy elderly will develop Alzheimer's disease

Why do some people develop Alzheimer's disease while others don't? And, even more puzzlingly, why do many individuals whose brains are chock-full of toxic amyloid aggregates - a telltale sign of Alzheimer's brain pathology - never go on to develop Alzheimer's-associated dementias?

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers appear to have found the answer.

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