Sounds of Sanofi: Pills spinning, machines whirring aim to introduce ASMR — and showcase lab quality – Endpoints News

2022-06-19 00:24:23 By : Mr. Jack Pan

Want to hear what Sanofi is doing in drug development? Forget executive speeches or scientific discussions, its newest campaign showcases lab sounds in a series of video clips and audio tracks to highlight Sanofi’s development and innovation.

Spinning pills, liquid pouring and machines whirring resonate across 6 audio tracks on the “Sounds of Sanofi” SoundCloud playlist — in what may be pharma’s first foray into the ASMR trend. ASMR, short for autonomous sensory meridian response, has seeped into popular culture over the past few years — entire social media accounts focus on ASMR eating for instance. Big-time advertising picked up on the trend in 2019 with actress Zoë Kravitz whispering, clicking nails and pouring a Michelob beer in the first ASMR TV ad on the Super Bowl.

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Merck is evaluating a potential buyout of embattled Seattle biotech Seagen, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal on Friday morning.

This is the newest development for the biotech after former CEO Clay Siegall stepped down from the company — while also forfeiting his board positions at other companies such as Umoja Biopharma — following allegations of domestic violence that surfaced last month. He was initially arrested in the early hours of April 23 after a physical altercation with his wife left her with multiple bruises, according to a police report. Siegall has denied the allegations.

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It’s one conference after the other in June. Now that #BIO22 is behind us, we’re shifting gears to Zach Brennan’s upcoming events at #DIA22 and on-the-ground coverage from Cannes Lions by Beth Snyder Bulik and Nicole DeFeudis. If you’re taking a long weekend like us — we’re off Monday in observance of Juneteenth — I hope it’s just what you need.

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The member countries of the World Trade Organization negotiated late into last night, finally offering up a compromised and watered-down way for some low-income countries to waive the intellectual property around certain Covid-19 vaccine ingredients and manufacturing processes, potentially paving the way for compulsory licensing for these vaccines.

While only in effect initially for five years, the waiver would hypothetically allow low-income countries to bypass certain Pfizer and Moderna patents to produce more Covid-19 vaccines.

Another OK, another 2,000 potential patients.

On Thursday, Rhythm Pharmaceuticals received its second FDA green light for its obesity management drug for those with ultra-rare genetic diseases, this time for Bardet-Biedl syndrome, a disease that impacts a number of organs but with early-onset obesity as a major symptom. And the company also engineered a royalty deal netting it up to $100 million.

The FDA approved the drug, known as setmelanotide and marketed as Imcivree, for patients 6 years and up after Phase III data in 31 Bardet-Biedl patients showed it decreased BMI by around 8% compared to placebo. Rhythm chairman and CEO David Meeker noted that while BMI was not a perfect measurement, the company opted to use it over weight because its study included pediatric patients who were still growing.

More than 18 months after adults were able to start receiving Pfizer-BioNTech’s and Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccines, kids as young as six months are on the verge of being able to get inoculated against the pandemic virus.

The FDA authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines Friday morning under EUA after the agency’s outside advisors unanimously favored (21-0) administering the shots. Parents and caregivers just have to wait for the CDC to sign off before the youngest of America’s kids can get the vaccine.

The amyloid beta theory that has driven billions of dollars in failed Alzheimer’s research has taken yet another body blow.

Roche — and specifically its big sub Genentech — conceded defeat overnight for its closely watched Phase II API-ADAD trial of crenezumab in Alzheimer’s prevention. This follows twin Phase III failures — CREAD 1 and CREAD 2 in 2019 — and may well effectively mark the end of the line for a drug in-licensed from Switzerland’s AC Immune 16 years ago.

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Galderma is debuting its first portfolio campaign for aesthetics brand Restylane. The dermal fillers — which competes with Allergan Aesthetics’ filler Juvederm — plan to kick off “XpresYourself” first at PrideFest in New York City on June 26.

The event was chosen purposefully for its theme for 2022 “Unapologetically Us” which complements the thinking behind the new work that encourages consumers “to celebrate how they choose to express themselves,” a Galderma spokesperson said in an email.

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Johnson & Johnson’s new deal with a leading cancer organization aims to boost diversity in early phase clinical trials. The $5 million sponsorship agreement between Janssen and Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) will help fund four groups of researchers across the US working to remove barriers to enrolling more patients, especially those in “medically underserved” communities.

SU2C is currently taking applications for the research teams that will work with federally qualified health centers, clinics and local groups that are already partnered with the underrepresented populations. Team applicants who get a second go-around and invitation to submit a full application will have until the end of August. Teams will be selected in September.

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A panel of the FDA’s outside experts voted 9-3 that Acadia Pharmaceuticals’ drug doesn’t appear to be effective at treating patients with Alzheimer’s-related psychosis.

The drug, Nuplazid, is already indicated for Parkinson’s-related psychosis, but Acadia has tried — and failed last year — to get another green light in Alzheimer’s psychosis. The drug never panned out in the clinic for patients with depression or schizophrenia, causing Acadia multiple R&D headaches over the years.

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Bioscience & Technology Business Center The University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas

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