Clinical Research

Novartis invests in digital trials

Country
Switzerland

Novartis has expanded an alliance with Science 37 Inc of the US to launch up to 10 clinical trials over the next three years that will be conducted at a participant’s home or a physician’s officer rather than at a formal clinical trial site. Science 37 is a mobile technology and clinical trial company.

Verona reports positive data from CF trial

Country
United Kingdom

Verona Pharma Plc has reported positive top-line data from a Phase 2a trial of its inhaled drug for patients with cystic fibrosis, a rare inherited disease that causes impaired lung function and premature death. The data showed an improvement in lung function that was statistically significant.

Novartis, Pear in digital drug alliance

Country
Switzerland

Novartis has announced a collaboration with Pear Therapeutics Inc to develop digital therapeutics for patients with schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis using mobile and desktop software. The new products would deliver clinically-proven treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy.

Meeting Report: When clinical trials become too complex

Country
Belgium

After one volunteer died and four others were seriously injured during a clinical study in France in 2016, the European Medicines Agency revised its rules for first-in-human studies to tighten the requirements for the dosing of experimental drugs in humans. Introducing the changes in 2017, the agency said that clinical trial protocols are now more complex than ever before and sponsors will need to work harder to exercise oversight.

Avelumab doesn’t meet endpoint in lung cancer trial

Country
Germany

The checkpoint antibody avelumab has failed to meet its primary endpoint of improving overall survival in a Phase 3 trial of patients with PD-L1 expressing non-small lung cancer. The JAVELIN Lung 200 trial compared avelumab with docetaxel chemotherapy.

Combination has impact in kidney cancer

Country
Switzerland

An experimental cancer therapy that combines the Roche checkpoint antibody Tecentriq (atezolizumab) and Avastin (bevacizumab) met its co-primary endpoint of progression-free survival in a Phase 3 trial of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Innate Pharma, MedImmune to trial cancer combo

Country
France

A new agreement for fighting cancer by targeting the tumour microenvironment has been announced by the AstraZeneca Plc unit MedImmune and Innate Pharma SA of France. The goal is to overcome some of the limitations of the current checkpoint inhibitors.

Pixium Vision says bionic vision system helped patient

Country
France

The first patient to be treated with a wireless sub-retinal implant designed to correct for damage caused by dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has responded to the therapy, according to the developer Pixium Vision SA of France.

AstraZeneca says triple COPD therapy works

Country
United Kingdom

An experimental therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which combines three compounds into single treatment has delivered statistically significant results in a Phase 3 trial, according to AstraZeneca Plc.