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News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Biocurious: Clinical trial readouts show road to approval can be as exciting as the destination
In the medical device sector, sometimes trial news can excite investors more than the approval endgame At the application stage, devices have a much higher chance of being approved than drugs Investors can expect news from several companies with pivotal or late-stage trials For a drug or device maker, there's no prouder moment than when a health regulator – especially the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) – approves their product to be unleashed on unsuspecting patients. It's like watching your kid graduate – and you can even tolerate the long-winded speeches. But don't confuse this coming-of-age moment with being the ultimate share price catalyst. For investors, the 'ker-ching' can be much earlier, such as with trial progress or even the FDA granting permission to begin a study. For instance, PainChek (ASX:PCK) shares had a nice run last October, after a positive validation study that supported the pain measurement app maker's US approval application. In late June Blinklab (ASX:BB1) shares soared after the autism test developer won ethics approval for a 1000-patient US trial. In the case of devices, FDA device approval tends to be less of a dramatic moment than for a drug go-ahead, because the chances of success are much higher. Most applicants avail of the 510(k) route, which means that a device only needs to be substantially equivalent to a legal equivalent. According to the contract research organisation Bioaccess, the FDA processes around 10,000 510(k) applications annually, with an approval rate of around 90%. Review times are also shorter: 120 days compared with 420 days for the de novo (new device) route. Here are some device (or quasi device) plays with advanced trials – typically- pivotal ones – that could move the share price dial. Emvision runs with Emu trial EMvision Medical Devices (ASX:EMV) in enrolling up to 300 suspected stroke victims in a pivotal trial of its stroke detection device Emu, across six local and US sites. Emu is a portable bedside scanning unit that's much lighter than a conventional computed tomography (CT) unit. The company is also developing an even small version, First Responder. As its name suggests, this one's for ambulance use. The trial sites are all high calibre research centres handling high stroke volumes. The stroke patients will receive the standard of care and an Emu scan. Given the device is a trail blazer, Emvision is girding for approval under the de novo route. After that, the company hopes the agency will approve First Responder approval under the 510(k) channel. Emu/First Responder will determine whether a stroke is a blockage (ischaemic)or a bleed (hemorrhagic). This will decide the type of treatment and it's crucial to get the diagnosis right. The company expects a six-to-12-month recruitment period. Micro-X also is on strike with strokes Meanwhile, x-ray imaging house Micro-X (ASX:MX1) plans to launch trails of its portable stroke unit, Head CT, across three local hospitals in the current half. The trials will entail suspected stroke victims being subject to standard CT imaging, then overlaid with the Micro-X scan that deploys a more effective 'cold cathode' method. Aiming for 'several hundred' scans, the studies only need to prove that the Micro-X tech is just as good as the conventional ones, Funded by $8 million from the Australian Stroke Alliance, the study supports a proposed 510(k) application next year, in view of a US launch in 2027. The company expects the trials to run for nine months. Micro-X had multiple applications for its tech, bomb and baggage screening. As part of a 'strategy re-set' the company is focused on medical applications. Micro-X has commercialised two mobile digital radiology devices: the first-generation Nano and a sturdier iteration called Rover. Heart patients move like Jagger In the past, heart patients too old or too sick for surgical aortic valve replacement – or open-heart surgery – in effect were given a death sentence. Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedures enable malfunctioning valves to be replaced in a non-invasive, 20-minute procedure. TAVR recipients include Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mick Jagger – and they're still rockin'. TAVR also applies to replacing artificial valves that have an effective operating life of five years or so. Anteris Technologies (ASX:AVR) is on track to commence a pivotal trial of its Duravr device in the current quarter, pending FDA approval. The company says it's qualified 79 sites globally for the trial, which will enroll patients with a 'broad array of risk profiles'. The trial will be designed to provide the 'primary clinical evidence' for the FDA to mull premarket approval. In parallel, Anteris is pursuing European clearance. More than Imagion-ation Shares also can pop on the strength of trial approval alone. In the drug/device sphere, Imagion Biosystems (ASX:IBX) awaits clearance to carry out a phase II study of its cancer imaging agent, Magsense for Her-2 positive beast cancers. For use with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Magsense improves cancer detection by adding 'molecular specificity'. In lay terms, this avoids painful, error-prone biopsies. This month, Imagion formed an alliance with Michigan's Wayne State University School of Medicine. In part, the institution's MRI gurus will help to devise an optimal dose to be used in the study. Trip the light fantastic Invion (ASX:IVX) highlights how the trial journey, rather than the destination can evoke investor excitement. Invion is advancing photodynamic therapy (PDT) for tumor types including non-melanoma skin cancers and ano-genital cancers. Someone has to do it. The idea is that light-activated photosensitisers leave the healthy tissue unharmed, but zap the diseased stuff. Thus, PTD is a promising non-toxic, non-invasive alternative to chemotherapy, radiation or surgery. Invion shares early last December rocketed more than 300% after the company said it had enrolled its first patient in its Queensland based phase I/II skin cancer trial. The adaptive study now is poised to enter is second stage. The next Sirtex? OncoSil Medical (ASX:OSL) is equated with a less developed version of the targeted liver cancer radiation treatment house Sirtex, acquired for $1.9 billion in 2018 by Chinese interests. Relative commercial immaturity aside, Oncosil targets the difficult pancreatic cancer. Oncosil is trialling its eponymous targeted treatment with the standard-of-care chemo, Folfirinix. The study, TRIPP-FFX, has completed recruitment and investors should expect data in early 2026. The study pertains to patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. The trial has recruited 'at least' 88 patients across 15 local and European hospitals. So - there you have it. While bonanza share gains are never guaranteed, investors know where to look for surprise pit stops along the circuitous approval journey.
ABC News
a day ago
- ABC News
Queensland's cyclone-proof buildings survive earthquakes, but tremors can bring insurance challenges
The latest earthquake to hit Queensland might not have done any serious damage, but tremors can still cause headaches for home owners. Windows shook across south-east Queensland on Saturday morning as a magnitude-5.6 earthquake struck inland from the Sunshine Coast. Geoscience Australia said the epicentre was about 80 kilometres west of Noosa and 250 kilometres north of Brisbane. It was the largest onshore earthquake in Queensland in half a century, and the biggest to hit the state at all since a 5.8-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Bowen in 2016. Magnitude scales are used to describe the impact of earthquakes. Here's what those scales are and the potential impact or damage each has: Queensland sits toward the bottom of Australian states in terms of earthquake activity. University of Queensland seismologist Dion Weatherley said Australia gets one or two magnitude-5 quakes per year on average, with one every five to 10 years in Queensland. He said the fault responsible for earthquakes felt in Queensland — the line where tectonic plates meet — could potentially generate up to a magnitude-7 quake. The scale of geological time measurement and the relative youth of geosciences means experts are unsure when such an earthquake could hit. "[Magnitude-7s] have a return period of around 25,000 years by estimated standards, so unfortunately we can't say with any certainty," Dr Weatherley said. He said there are no signs earthquake activity is getting more severe. "There's no indication that there's been any major changes in the tectonic plate motions in the past 10 years, 100 years, or even a million years that would suggest that earthquakes should be occurring at a higher rate," he said. Despite the state's relative lack of earthquake experience, Dr Weatherley said Queensland's infrastructure is by nature well-suited to tremors. "We don't design our buildings for earthquakes, but the reality is that engineers are not overly concerned about the structural integrity of our bridges and overpasses and our critical buildings and infrastructure, particularly when it comes to coastal areas further north," he said. Geoscience Australia said it hasn't detected aftershocks from the weekend's earthquake, but it has prompted the organisation to install new "seismic rapid deployment kits" near the Sunshine Coast. When in place, the sensors will measure any potential future aftershocks and give geologists more information about seismic activity in Queensland. Director of extreme weather response at the Insurance Council of Australia, Liam Walter, said earthquake damage wasn't a major priority in Australian insurance. "Earthquake is not a common loss type for Australia," Mr Walter said. "There's not the sort of catastrophic building demolitions that we see in other places, but it is an event that causes damage from time to time." Most domestic private home insurance covers damage to a property by earthquake, Mr Walter said, but this does not mean claims will be approved. Some residents in Muswellbrook in the Upper Hunter in New South Wales struggled to have their claims paid out after a series of earthquakes up to magnitude-4.7 shook the region last year. Insurance companies pointed to "pre-existing" damage as the reason for declining claims. Mr Walter said after an earthquake, people will often do an inventory of their home while in a "hypervigilant" state. "What we tend to find is … people will notice all sorts of cracks and movement and things around the house that they might not have noticed before," he said. "So it's actually quite a sensible thing to do to take regular inventory of your home, the building and your contents, if for no other reason than to make sure you have the right cover. "If you've got a record there … maybe you've taken some photos along the way as well, that could be super helpful when it comes to claim time to demonstrate the condition."
ABC News
3 days ago
- ABC News
Outback Recovery: Western Queensland's devastating floods
The long road to recovery for graziers and communities affected by western Queensland's devastating floods.
