And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, you may recall, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans. Our agenda is decidedly modest. We plan to catch up on some reading, putter about the castle, and promenade with the official mascot. And what about you? This remains a fine time of year to enjoy the great outdoors — beaches, lakes, and mountain trails are beckoning. You could also look ahead and purchase an autumn sweater or scour for previously untested pumpkin patches. Or simply plan the rest of your life. Well, whatever you do, have a grand time. But be safe. Enjoy, and see you soon. …
Running clinical trials remotely or virtually can provide substantial financial savings for pharmaceutical companies, STAT writes, citing a new pilot study. And the findings may prompt still further use of such techniques, which have been increasingly adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic. Remote or virtual methods, such as telemedicine and the use of other mobile devices, yielded a five-fold return on investment of $8.6 million, on average, for Phase 2 clinical trials. For Phase 3 trials involving experimental drugs, there was a 13-fold return on investment of $41 million, on average, per medicine. And the return was $20.4 million when these methods were used during both trial stages.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug that reduced the appearance of facial wrinkles for about six months, spurring competition in a market that for decades has been dominated by Botox, The New York Times tells us. Revance Therapeutics, the maker of the new treatment, Daxxify, announced the approval on Thursday morning, saying its effects — by injection into the face along worry lines — lasted longer than other products on the market. Like Botox, which is sold by AbbVie, the new treatment is a neuromuscular blocking agent that essentially freezes wrinkles. It is also a botulinum toxin, which, when used as directed, is not detected in the patient’s bloodstream.
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