Logo

Down the Pike

May 19, 2009

Chris at R&D Directions Insider blog spoke with both Merck's Alan Sachs and Amgen's Sean Harper down at the BIO meeting in Atlanta. Sachs is a VP of RNA Therapeutics and tells Chris that Merck isn't focusing on the delivery of RNA-based drugs but instead is looking whether RNA-based drugs make be safely taken for a chronic condition. Harper says that FDA has accepted Amgen's new drug application for denosumab to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis and bone loss from hormone ablation therapy. He adds that Amgen is also working on cancer therapies and treatments for asthma.

Breaking News
The Scan

Tens of Millions Saved

The Associated Press writes that vaccines against COVID-19 saved an estimated 20 million lives in their first year.

Supersized Bacterium

NPR reports that researchers have found and characterized a bacterium that is visible to the naked eye.

Also Subvariants

Moderna says its bivalent SARS-CoV-2 vaccine leads to a strong immune response against Omicron subvariants, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Science Papers Present Gene-Edited Mouse Models of Liver Cancer, Hürthle Cell Carcinoma Analysis

In Science this week: a collection of mouse models of primary liver cancer, and more.