This Week’s Top Headlines

Allergan Pharmaceuticals and Editas Medicine Confirm CRISPR Deal

Posted 3/16/17

Allergan and Editas Medicine have confirmed a research and development alliance under which Allergan will have exclusive access to and the right to license up to five Edits genome-editing eye disease therapies. The treatment involves CRISPR technology which edits genomes to replace or remove diseased cells. This technology is the latest innovation in eye disease treatment. The deal comes after Allergan’s unveiling of their new program, “See America,” last month which aims to educate about eye diseases. Read the full press release here.

Generic Pharma In Favor of Quicker FDA Approvals

Posted 3/16/17

Biosimilar and generic drug makers have voiced favor over the speedier FDA promised by President Trump. The agency will be aiming to approve more drugs than it did in 2016, when it reached an all-time high of 600 new patents. The quicker approval times may eliminate some approval costs and increase competition between generic and brand-name pharmaceutical makers, which may see reduced prices for patients and payers. Read the full article here.

Research Finds iPhone App Data Comparable to Traditional Studies

Posted 3/16/17

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sanai have published their findings that iPhone apps tracking asthma treatment and symptoms presented a safe and cohesive environment for data collection. The study was composed of 7,500 U.S. candidates focused on measuring “real-world” disease patterns such as the correlation between weather conditions and disease flare-ups. Researchers concluded that the data received is comparable to traditional study results. Read the full article here.

Pfizer Releases Antibiotic Aimed at Resistant-Bacteria

Posted 3/16/17

Pfizer has announced the release of an antibiotic used to treat infections caused by resistant bacteria. The antibiotic, Zavicefta, is a combination of avibactam and ceftazidime and will be used for gram-negative infections, in which a rise in resistant bacteria has been traced. Clinical trials have concluded that the new drug is just effective in treating the rare, super-resistant infections. Read the full article here.

MedyMatch and IBM Deliver Real-Time Brain-Bleed Detection Technology

Posted 3/16/17

MedyMatch and IBM have teamed up to deliver a brain-bleed detecting system to hospitals. The system will use artificial intelligence (AI) to determine where bleeding may be present during a CT scan. This technology quickly and efficiently detects the bleeding on-site through a cloud-based system, which may prevent long-term bleeding effects including death. Read the full article here.