Advances Amgen's Mission to Serve Patients With First-in-Class Rare Disease Medicines

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., Oct. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) today announced that it has completed its acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics plc for $116.50 per share in cash, representing a transaction equity value of approximately $27.8 billion.

"Today marks an exciting milestone as we welcome Horizon employees to Amgen and begin working together to serve even more patients around the world suffering from serious illnesses," said Robert A. Bradway, Amgen's chairman and chief executive officer. "We have strong momentum in our core business and the addition of Horizon will further position Amgen as a leader across a broader range of diseases."

Imagine a world where unhealthy organs are replaced with transplants constructed with a 3D printer using the patient’s own cells. No more agonizing waits and desperate searches for a suitable donor organ, and, because the printed organs use cells from the patients themselves, no more fear of organ rejection. It might sound like science fiction set in the far off future, but thanks to the pioneering work of United Therapeutics , it may become a reality a lot sooner than you think, and it’s happening here in Maryland.

Co-headquartered in Silver Spring, United Therapeutics was founded in 1996 by Dr. Martine Rothblatt, a mom who wanted to save her 7 year-old daughter Jenesis who’d been diagnosed with a rare and serious disease called pulmonary arterial hypertension. Twenty seven years later, Jenesis has defied the odds and works at the company her mother founded to save her life.

With an increasing number of U.S. biopharmaceutical firms feeling the financial constraints imposed by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and subsequently shutting down or suspending their research programs in the rare disease domain, hundreds of millions of patients in both the U.S. and India face the grim prospect of not receiving a breakthrough treatment for their condition within their lifetimes. IndoUSrare, a US-based nonprofit committed to stanching rare diseases, launches the inaugural Bridging RARE conference to forge a path for affordable clinical innovation via strengthened Indo-US collaborations and more inclusive clinical trials for minimizing the devastating health consequences arising from this policy shift.

(HERNDON, Va.) October 10, 2023: Rare diseases, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), refer to some 10,867 medically significant conditions, each with a prevalence of one or less per 1,000 individuals. With only about 8% of them being treatable,¹ rare diseases include congenital malformations, autoimmune disorders, lysosomal storage disorders, thalassemia, muscular dystrophies, and infrequent forms of cancer and infections. Despite substantial progress during the 40 years since the enactment of the Orphan Drug Act of 1983, which incentivized the U.S. private sector to develop 1,100 FDA-approved orphan treatments,² the global thrust against rare diseases is on the verge of losing steam.

First small molecule allosteric binder discovered with Gain’s computational drug discovery platform enters clinical development

BETHESDA, Md., Oct. 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gain Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: GANX) (“Gain”, or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company leading the discovery and development of the next generation of allosteric small molecule therapies, today announced dosing of the first two subjects in a Phase 1 clinical trial of GT-02287, Gain’s lead drug candidate for the treatment of GBA1 Parkinson’s disease. The Company expects to complete this trial in the first half of 2024.

“Initiating first-in-human dosing with GT-02287 is an important milestone for Gain as we enter a new era as a clinical-stage company,” said Matthias Alder, Chief Executive Officer of Gain Therapeutics. “I am very proud of the work accomplished by the entire Gain team to get us to this stage today, and we are eager to advance our understanding of the safety, tolerability and effect of GT-02287 in humans. This represents another major step forward toward providing a treatment for Parkinson’s patients and their families impacted by this devastating disease.”

Welldoc’s industry-leading holistic platform now incorporates AI-driven digital coaching and features specifically designed to support individuals throughout the complex journey of weight management

COLUMBIA, Md., October 4, 2023 — Welldoc^®, a digital health leader revolutionizing chronic care, today announced the expansion of its platform to support weight management. Welldoc’s comprehensive chronic care platform now provides multi-condition support across prediabetes, diabetes, hypertension, heart failure and weight management, along with integrated mental wellbeing and sleep apnea support. Welldoc’s weight management solution is currently available to all customers and will be launching in early 2024 with two of the leading health care companies in the U.S.

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, which increases their risk of developing chronic comorbid conditions like type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, and sleep apnea.  As part of Welldoc’s total health approach to chronic care, AI-driven, personalized digital coaching is available 24/7 to help individuals navigate weight management whether they are just beginning their weight management journey with lifestyle changes or are prescribed a GLP-1 medication. Welldoc enables individuals to understand and connect with their health data in a meaningful way, making the achievement of weight and overall health goals more attainable. Welldoc also provides clinical escalations and decision support for the care team when needed.

Luminoah Wins 8th Annual Crab Trap Competition at BioHealth Capital Region Forum

Rockville, MD, September 22, 2023 — Luminoah, a MedTech startup located in Charlottesville, VA, dedicated to improving the lives of people requiring enteral feeding, emerged as the top company at the 8^th Annual Crab Trap Competition, held as part of this year’s BioHealth Capital Region Forum. The event, which took place on September 20th, showcased Luminoah's innovative wearable system, designed to optimize compliance and clinical outcomes through the integration of durable medical equipment, consumable nutrition pouches, and remote patient monitoring.

Neal Piper, Founder & CEO of Luminoah, delivered an outstanding presentation highlighting the company's groundbreaking technology. Luminoah's wearable system represents a significant advancement in the field of enteral feeding, offering an innovative solution to enhance patient care.