FarmaKology Newsletter - Issue #44

May 13, 2020

Today's Startup

Codiak BioSciences

Codiak BioSciences is harnessing exosomes—natural intercellular messengers—to pioneer a new class of biologic medicines, exosome therapeutics. We have developed the engExTM Platform, our proprietary and versatile exosome engineering and manufacturing platform, to expand upon the innate properties of exosomes to design novel exosome therapeutic candidates. Using our engEx Platform, we can engineer exosomes to have precise and intentionally chosen properties, to incorporate various forms of biologically active molecules, including small molecules, nucleic acids, proteins, antibodies, enzymes, cytokines and complex ligands, with the goal of delivering potent signals to specific cell targets.

News

Amorepacific Places New Emphasis on Personalized Cosmetics

Amorepacific, Korea's leading beauty company, officially unveiled its Lab Tailored 3D Mask from IOPE, the company's skincare brand known for scientifically produced products. A 2020 CES Innovation Award honoree, the Lab Tailored 3D Mask is a made-to-measure hydrogel mask created with the company's own innovative 3D mask printing technology to fit each person's individual facial dimensions and skin conditions.

FDA fast tracks Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate

The US Food and Drug Administration has awarded fast track designation to Moderna mRNA vaccine candidate, mRNA-1273, developed to protect against Covid-19.Fast track designation enables development and speed-up of the review of therapies and vaccines that target serious conditions and fill an unmet medical need.Programmes with the designation could see early and frequent communication with the FDA , along with a rolling submission of the marketing application.

Cipla Enters Into a Licensing Agreement With Gilead to Expand Access to COVID-19 Treatment

Cipla Limited today announced that it has signed a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences, Inc. for the manufacturing and distribution of the investigational medicine Remdesivir, which has been issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat COVID-19 patients. This agreement is part of Cipla's efforts to enhance global access to life-saving treatments for patients affected by the pandemic.

FDA issues two guidances to accelerate COVID-19 treatments

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday evening issued two guidances intended to accelerate the development of products to treat or prevent coronavirus disease (COVID-19), laying out recommendations to help companies get to the investigational new drug application (IND) stage and clinical trial design considerations for later-stage studies.