Trending News Today: FDA Declines to Approve Abuse-Deterrent Opioid Treatment

Pain Therapeutics announced that officials with the FDA have declined to approve its abuse-deterrent opioid drug, Remoxy ER, for the management of severe pain, Reuters reported. According to the article, the treatment was denied approval because the benefits of the drug did not outweigh the risks. Remoxy ER has failed to receive marketing approval on the past 3 attempts, the article reported.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced it will invest $100 million in cancer drug manufacturer bluebird bio Inc, and the companies will jointly develop new cell therapies for cancer, Reuters reported. According to the article, the companies will use Regeneron’s VelociSuite platform technologies for the discovery of human antibodies and T cell receptors, as well as bluebird’s gene transfer techniques. The companies have selected 6 initial targets and will equally share the costs of research and development up to the point of submitting a marketing application, the article reported.

Thirteen cases of the Ebola virus have been confirmed in Congo’s latest outbreak, including 3 deaths, the Associated Press reported. According to the article, the World Health Organization has warned that the new outbreak in North Kivu poses a challenge because the region is deemed a “war zone,” with several active armed groups and thousands of displaced individuals. Congo announced the latest outbreak on August 1, a week after declaring the end to a previous outbreak with 33 deaths, the article reported.