This week in pharma… 13th January

In this week’s news, trends that will impact drug development and the pharma packaging sector in 2023, the hottest areas for nutraceuticals in 2023, and more.

Marcelo Cruz, Vice President of Business Development & Marketing at Tjoapack, examines the trends that will impact drug development and the pharma packaging sector in 2023. 

Increasing demand for personalized treatments, an aging population, and the rise of new manufacturing technologies are some of the primary growth opportunities for pharma packaging companies in 2023.  

Sirio’s industry expert joined NutraIngredients Asia’s group of experts to discuss the hottest areas for nutraceuticals in 2023 and highlight the key sector trends to look out for this year. 

The U.S. FDA has approved Eisai and Biogen’s co-developed Alzheimer’s disease anti-amyloid beta protofibril antibody, lecanemab, under an Accelerated Approval pathway.  

To confirm the drug’s efficacy and safety, the FDA looked at a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, dose-finding study of 856 patients with Alzheimer’s disease. According to trial results, those patients receiving the treatment had significant dose- and time-dependent reduction of amyloid beta plaques.

Exercise may be a goldmine for drug discovery: hormones, peptides, and other proteins produced in the body during physical activity could prove to be valuable therapeutics for treating many neurodegenerative or psychiatric disorders. 

“There’s pretty unequivocal evidence that exercise affects the brain and the risk for numerous neurocognitive disorders. We’re talking about neurodegenerative conditions and psychiatric conditions,” said Kirk Erickson. “It reduces the risk for depression, reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, reduces the risk for Parkinson’s disease, and the risk for normal age-related cognitive decline.” 

Safety results from a first-in-human study showed that orally inhaled murepavadin, a novel macrocycle compound, was well tolerated at all dose levels.

iMPV targets Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the key pathogen in cystic fibrosis (CF) lung infections. The therapy is one of the first candidates in the novel Outer Membrane Protein Targeting Antibiotics (OMPTA) class. It targets the outer membrane of P. aeruginosa, including activity against highly resistant strains.

Also in the news

BioNTech says it will start cancer vaccine trials in the UK from September. The company aims to test 10,000 personalized mRNA therapies, including cancer vaccines, between September 2023 to the end of the decade.

CDMO trends

CDMO Outsourcing Models (4th Edition) report takes an in-depth look at current outsourcing practices among drug innovators to gain insight into the adoption and application of different outsourcing strategies. 

Sirio Pharma has completed the acquisition of a majority stake in Best Formulations, a contract manufacturer of nutritional supplements and personal care products based in California.