Health

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals focuses on disease-causing bugs

Published

3 weeks ago

June 13, 2024

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals focuses on disease-causing bugs

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Bobak Azamian speaking at the Forbes Healthcare Summit 2023

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around 25 million Americans are affected by the eye disease Demodex blepharitis, which is caused by tiny mites that get into the eyelid. This causes chronic inflammation that in severe cases can cause problems with the cornea of the eye itself. The disease can also cause damage to the eyelashes and cause other allergic reactions. Despite its prevalence, there has been no good treatment for the disease until now July last yearwhen the FDA approved Tarsus Pharmaceutical products Xdemvy, an eye drop solution that directly targets the mites that cause the disease. The treatment came onto the market at the end of August 2023.

CEO since then Bobak Azamian told Forbesthe company has been busy getting the treatment to patients. “We did $25 million sales in the first quarter,” he said. “That was an increase of almost 90% compared to the fourth quarter.” That number represents the end of the drug 26,000 people with the disease, with about 8,000 ophthalmologists He began providing the drug to patients, he said. He added that the company has heard a lot of anecdotal praise from patients, including from Azamian’s own mother, who suffered from the disease.

Mites aren’t the only bug Tarsus is setting his biochemical sights on. The company is also working on a pill that can be taken after exposure to ticks to prevent ticks Lyme disease. The pill works by killing ticks, both when you take the pill and those that bite it 30 days later. Phase 2 data released by the company in February 2024 it turned out that the pill killed more than 90% of sterile ticks attached to healthy volunteers, compared with approximately 5% mortality in patients taking a placebo.

Additionally, Azamian said Tarsus is also working on drugs that could reduce transmission malaria by killing mosquitoes that bite patients, but also drugs that target other diseases also caused by mites. “What we’re really committed to is creating a whole new category of medicine,” he said.

FDA panel unanimously recommends Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s drug

An FDA advisory panel voted unanimously Monday to recommend Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s drug donanemab, making the drug’s eventual approval more likely. Clinical trial data suggests the drug can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by about 29% compared to a placebo, although it does come with some serious side effects. Safety concerns about these effects have caused delays in the approval process, but they are roughly comparable to Biogen and Eisai’s Alzheimer’s drug Leqmbi, which was approved by the FDA last year.

The FDA Advisory Committee’s unanimous decision that the overall risk-benefit profile of donanemab is favorable bodes well for its eventual approval,” said Forbes contributor and healthcare analyst Joshua Cohen on the decision. “This, in turn, would provide AD patients and their caregivers with another treatment option in a therapeutic area with a significant amount of unmet need.”

Pipeline and deal updates

Digital Therapies: Earlier this year, Mahana Therapeutics was acquired Forbess Among 30 European startup Cara Care, based in Germany, which has developed a self-directed, cognitive behavioral therapy-based app treatment for inflammatory bowel disease. As digital therapeutics companies struggle to get reimbursement in the US market, Mahana said this week it had reached an amount reimbursement agreement with the German National Association of Health Insurers. This means doctors can now prescribe (and re-prescribe) the app at 90-day intervals for patients aged 18 to 70.

Venture capital: Life sciences investment company Foresite Capital announced that it has raised $900 million for its new Fund VI, which will focus on investing in startups in precision therapy, healthcare and life science infrastructure. Additionally, philanthropy vehicle SCI Ventures launched with $27 million in commitments aimed at commercializing treatments for spinal cord injuries.

Alzheimer’s: Alzheon, which develops treatments and diagnostics for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, announced it has increased the raise a $100 million Series E round led by Alerce Medical Technology Partners.

Diabetes: Abbott Laboratories said Monday that the FDA has approved its Lingo and Rio glucose monitoring devices.

AI: Anterior, an AI company focused on healthcare administration, announced that it has increased its funding a $20 million Series A led by New Enterprise Associates. Meanwhile based in Switzerland Riviawhich is developing an AI infrastructure for clinical trial data, announced a $3.2 million seed round.

Radiopharma: Germany-based radiopharmaceutical biotech company ITM has announced that it has launched an initiative $203 million equity investment led by Temasek.

Moderna’s COVID flu vaccine shows a stronger immune response than individual shots, a late-stage study shows

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On Monday, Moderna reported that the COVID-19 and flu shot combination produces a stronger immune response against both viruses than recognized vaccines on the market. These are promising findings for the mRNA company as it tries to diversify into areas like flu and cancer amid declining demand for coronavirus shots.

The trial tested the combination vaccine in two groups of roughly 4,000 adults, one aged 65 and over and the other between 50 and 64, and used blood tests to assess the strength of the immune response generated by two different vaccines against the viruses administered at the same time. time.

In both age groups, Moderna said participants who received the combination vaccine generated “significantly higher immune responses” against a number of flu strains, as well as Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Other healthcare news

A federal district judge ruled Tuesday that key elements of Florida’s ban are at stake gender-affirming care for minors and the associated restrictions for adults are unconstitutional.

The FDA has revoked the marketing ban Juul e-cigarette products last week and placed them back under scientific investigation.

A man in Mexico died after contracting a form of bird flu.H5N2– which has never before been seen in humans. This is separate from the H5N1 strain currently ravaging dairy cattle. Here are some differences between the tribes.

The World Health Organization announced that a four-year-old child in India had been infected H9N2–another new variant of bird flu. This is the second human case in India and the disease has infected around 100 people worldwide since 1998.

Senators from both parties are running for office the involvement of private equity in healthcare including supervision. The latest salvo was launched at Ascension Illinois by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).