Patent office could request information from FDA that is material to patentability, speakers at USPTO-FDA ‘listening session’ advise the agencies. Information exchange raises questions about trade secret protection and burdens on agencies.

JAMA reports on the COVID-19 Prevention Network’s efforts. Also, Inhibikase said the US FDA lifted a hold on its drug for Parkinson’s disease, while Astellas Pharma said the agency lifted a clinical hold on its gene therapy for Pompe disease. And Trefoil, Theriva Biologics and Nektar initiated new trials.

While the European Medicines Agency and industry speculate as to why 2022 saw far fewer applications for a place on the priority medicines scheme for drugs for unmet medical needs, they are enthusiastic about improvements to the initiative that are set to be trialed soon.

Scrip surveys the Phase III clinical trial readout landscape and picks 10 of the more interesting studies set to report in 2023, with a few added extras. AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, Novartis and Roche feature heavily.