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Purdue Pharma has drawn heavy criticism in the past and has been the subject of numerous lawsuits as many accuse the company of being responsible in large part for the US’ current opioid epidemic. Credit: Shutterstock / JHVEPhoto. Purdue Pharma ’s opioid overdose reversal injection, Zurnai, was granted clearance by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in individuals aged 12 years and older to combat overdose due to synthetic opioids. Coming in the form of an auto-injector pen that provides 1.5mg of nalmefene hydrochloride per actuation, it is the longest-acting opioid antagonist currently approved for opioid overdose reversal. The company hopes the system is simple enough to be used by anyone. The approval comes as data published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for over 12 months until February 2024 indicates approximately 90% of opioid overdose deaths were from synthetic opioids, mostly fentanyl. At the same time, research published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that opioid overdose deaths in the US have doubled among teenagers with 22 high school-age adolescents dying each week from overdoses driven by fentanyl-laced prescription pills. Purdue president and CEO Craig Landau said: “Zurnai can be an important new tool to save lives in critical moments. We are committed to delivering solutions to help address the opioid overdose crisis and are working to provide Zurnai at no profit to the company.” Purdue Pharma has drawn heavy criticism in the past and has been the subject of numerous lawsuits. Many parties have accused the company of being responsible in large part for the US’ current opioid epidemic when it engaged in deceptive marketing practices to sell Oxycontin (oxycodone hydrochloride), an opioid painkiller. See Also: Takeda’s ADZYNMA gains EU approval for cTTP treatment Amneal’s CREXONT gains FDA approval for Parkinson’s treatment Purdue says that less than 5% of those administered nalmefene hydrochloride through its Zurnai injector pen saw some adverse effects such as nausea, headache, dizziness and vomiting, among others. The company insists that it is producing the device US-wide at no profit to itself while continuing the production of its nalmefene hydrochloride injection in single-dose vials. Elsewhere, researchers at Canada’s University of Waterloo have developed a new blood testing technique that can identify the presence of potent opioids including the highly potent fentanyl in less than three minutes. At the same time, the FDA has issued a complete response letter to Orexo regarding a new drug application for its high-dose naloxone rescue medication, OX124.

Conduit has acquired two HK-4 glucokinase activators—AZD1656 and AZD5658, and AZD5904, a myeloperoxidase inhibitor (MPO). Credit: PeopleImages.com – Yuri A via Shutterstock. Conduit Pharmaceuticals’ will acquire three first-in-class assets from AstraZeneca under an exclusive licensing agreement between the two companies. Conduit’s stock price shot up by 123% following the 8 August announcement. The California, US-based company has acquired two HK-4 glucokinase activators—AZD1656 and AZD5658, and AZD5904, a myeloperoxidase inhibitor (MPO). AstraZeneca had already progressed AZD1656 and AZD5904 through Phase I clinical trials for metabolic disorders including type 2 diabetes. Conduit plans to advance the two candidates into Phase II trials later in 2024, specifically focusing on autoimmune disorders. The company has also secured exclusive rights to develop AZD5904 for idiopathic male infertility. Under the terms of the agreement, Conduit will issue shares of common stock to AstraZeneca and pay a share of future sublicence revenues while AstraZeneca will provide preclinical and clinical data and drug supplies. Founded in 2019, Conduit focuses on acquiring assets that have completed preclinical and clinical testing. The company progresses these candidates through Phase II trials and seeks to achieve exits through third-party licences, if successful. See Also: Takeda’s ADZYNMA gains EU approval for cTTP treatment Amneal’s CREXONT gains FDA approval for Parkinson’s treatment In March, Conduit opened a new laboratory space in Cambridge, England. According to the company, the space will be used to progress and expand upon its existing asset portfolio while also facilitating new intellectual property. In the announcement accompanying the acquisition, Conduit’s CEO David Tapolczay: “We are delighted to have entered into an agreement with AstraZeneca to secure the rights to develop AZD1656, AZD5658, and AZD5904. The potential of these assets to become important first-in-class medicines for patients is promising. “Given the data from AstraZeneca’s clinical trials, we believe there is a strong rationale to initiate Phase II studies in multiple indications to progress to commercialisation of these assets.” In February 2024, AstraZeneca concluded its acquisition of China-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Gracell Biotechnologies for a $1.2bn price tag. The acquisition was a strategic move to bolster its pipeline with cell therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases.