The Food and Drug Administration lifted a clinical hold on Bluebird Bio’s gene therapy that aims to treat blood disorder sickle cell disease. The agency paused trials and enrollment for a year after one patient developed persistent anemia. (Reuters)
Pfizer announced it will secure the rights to LianBio’s sisunatovir, a respiratory syncytial virus oral drug that aims to treat the disease in children and adults, for $20 million upfront. Pfizer invested $70 million into a partnership with LianBio back in 2020. (Endpoints News)
ALS patients said they have to contend with Relyvrio’s $158,000 price tag. Patients with insurance coverage say the $158,000 per year price tag set by drugmaker Amylyx Pharmaceutical is fueling insurance delays or denials, and sometimes exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses. (Associated Press)
The FDA stated it will hold an expert panel next month to discuss future COVID-19 vaccines as the pandemic progresses. The panel will outline a future strategy as variants evolve and whether new vaccines will be needed. (Axios)
A healthcare journalist said she neglected her health for a couple of years, but said that working on breast-cancer stories reminded her why she needed to advocate for herself. “Since receiving my BRCA results in 2014, I’ve seen these appointments — as well as the alternating breast ultrasounds and transvaginal ultrasounds that are also suggested as part of a preventive screening plan for those in my position — as just another part of my wellness routine,” Rosemary Donahue wrote. (Business Insider)
