Seema Kumar, J&J Global Head, Office of Innovation, Global Health and Scientific Engagement (via J&J)
In the early days of the pandemic, there was a mad scramble for information. What was a coronavirus, how likely was a vaccine and how soon could it be developed?
At Johnson & Johnson, where Janssen scientists were already at work on vaccine candidates even before Covid-19 was officially a pandemic, Seema Kumar, along with her global health communications team, noticed that information void and jumped in with an idea.
Unlock this story instantly and join 123,300+ biopharma pros reading Endpoints daily — and it’s free.
For years, paper-based processes and individual point solutions dominated the clinical research landscape, and patient participation in clinical trials was largely an in-person engagement. But when the COVID-19 pandemic took a stronghold, traditional clinical trial methods emerged as inadequate, putting clinical trials and the life sciences industry at a crossroads. Practically overnight, the industry had to rapidly shift to decentralized clinical trial methods, while maintaining data quality and regulatory compliance.
Al Sandrock (Biogen via Youtube)
Two years after Al Sandrock jumped from CMO to the top post in R&D — and just months after the hyper-controversial approval of the experimental Alzheimer’s drug aducanumab (Aduhelm) — Sandrock is planning to step out of his long career at Biogen.
Late Monday evening the big biotech put out word that Sandrock, a longtime fixture in the company after a 23-year stint, is hitting the exit.
Unlock this story instantly and join 123,300+ biopharma pros reading Endpoints daily — and it’s free.
A few weeks after Jennifer Doudna introduced CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to the world, one of her old students decided to take the central part of the biology-altering invention and kill it.
CRISPR/Cas9, as the name implies, is a two-part system: a string of letters called a guide RNA, that says where to cut the DNA. And an enzyme, Cas9, that does the cutting. Often compared to molecular scissors, it was the first system that allowed researchers to cut DNA with ease and precision, promising potential cures for genetic diseases such as sickle cell and cystic fibrosis.
Unlock this article along with other benefits by subscribing to one of our paid plans.
Bristol Myers Squibb is looking to shine a light on the rarely diagnosed heart condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) as it awaits an FDA decision on a proposed drug to treat it.
The unbranded ‘Could It Be HCM?’ campaign that launched Monday doesn’t mention mavacamten, which has an FDA decision deadline in January, but instead focuses on awareness of the condition with Utah Jazz National Basketball Association player Jared Butler who has HCM. Butler found out he had the heart condition while at Baylor University, where he helped lead the team to an NCAA national championship last season, and is now under a doctor’s care.
Unlock this story instantly and join 123,300+ biopharma pros reading Endpoints daily — and it’s free.
Chiquita Brooks-LaSure (Photo by Caroline Brehman/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)
Although sales of Biogen’s expensive new Alzheimer’s drug have been anemic since the approval in June, the prospect of CMS eventually paying for it opens up a billion-dollar can of worms, and already has the agency defending some premium and deductible increases for seniors.
CMS explained late Friday that Medicare Part B will have to increase its standard monthly premium — from $148.50 in 2021 to $170.10 in 2022 — in part because of the massive spending that could occur should the agency sign off on a national coverage decision for the drug, known as Aduhelm, and its $56,000 annual price tag next year.
Unlock this story instantly and join 123,300+ biopharma pros reading Endpoints daily — and it’s free.
Today’s audio channels are not your grandma’s radio. From digital streaming audio to original podcasts, more ears than ever are tuned into a growing wave of audio content. Pharma marketers are taking another look at advertising options on audio — which is now booming, thanks in part to the pandemic and more people staying at home.
More than 220 million people in the US stream music every month, while 116 million listened to at least one podcast in the last month, according to stats compiled by SXM Media and Pandora. And it’s growing. Digital audio streaming increased 16.4% in the first six months this year when compared to the same time period in 2020.
Unlock this story instantly and join 123,300+ biopharma pros reading Endpoints daily — and it’s free.
“In My Blood” Digital Coaching (via Epizyme)
When Bob K. was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma, he wasn’t even sure how to spell the name of the rare blood cancer. Now, as spokesperson for Epizyme’s ‘In My Blood’ digital campaign, he and other follicular lymphoma (FL) patients are talking about their experiences with the type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, alongside a new kind of digital coach.
‘My Follicular Lymphoma Coach’ is actually real-life hematology and oncology nurse practitioner Sandra Kurtin, who introduces herself in a video on the website. She asks the person watching to be prepared to answer some simple questions about their diagnoses, adding that her goal is to ‘take some of the uncertainty out of living with follicular lymphoma and prepare you to engage in a proactive partnership with your healthcare providers.’
Unlock this story instantly and join 123,300+ biopharma pros reading Endpoints daily — and it’s free.
As Merck KGaA makes moves to treat the neglected tropical disease schistosomiasis, it has announced that its treatment arpraziquantel has yielded positive Phase III trial results in children between the ages of 3 months and 6 years old, and the company will now seek regulatory approval.
A pediatric version of the standard drug praziquantel, arpraziquantel is an anti-worm medication that prevents newly hatched, parasitic worms from growing or multiplying inside a patient. The trial could offer a cure for millions.
Michael Goettler, Viatris CEO
Viatris (formerly known as Mylan and Pfizer’s Upjohn) on Tuesday opened up on the pricing of its interchangeable biosimilar for the insulin Lantus, saying the list price would be set at about $400 for a package of five 3 mL pens, which is about $20 cheaper than the list price for the branded version.
The tiny discount on Semglee’s list price (and the net price discount is expected to be less) offers the first look at how interchangeable biosimilars in the US, meaning they can be substituted for the original insulins without a doctor’s input, might be considered closer cousins to their branded counterparts when it comes to price than other unbranded biosimilars.
Unlock this story instantly and join 123,300+ biopharma pros reading Endpoints daily — and it’s free.
https://endpts.com/qa-as-science-gets-its-moment-jjs-global-brand-steward-seema-kumar-aims-to-amplify-the-people-behind-the-discoveries/
