Drug Development
A surprising deal from Vertex Pharmaceuticals adds to Big Pharma’s acquisitive streak as Crinetics folds into the cystic fibrosis drugmaker. Meanwhile, IPOs and venture capital raises trend upward, but mostly for derisked companies. Plus, FDA decisions slow only slightly as the hunt for a permanent leader drags on.
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Molecular glue degraders are gaining traction in the clinic as well as funding from Big Pharma, with their potential to treat previously “undruggable” cancers and immunological diseases. Here are five clinical programs worth keeping an eye on.
A recent FDA reversal sparked new hope for patients with Huntington’s disease. Flying under the radar, Skyhawk Therapeutics revealed 12-month functional data from a midstage trial of its own candidate showing improvements on a key disease measurement scale.
Recent approvals for Corcept Therapeutics and Merck have injected momentum into the space, where GSK, Allarity Therapeutics, OSE Immunotherapies and others are advancing their own candidates.
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PTC Therapeutics said Thursday the FDA has lifted a partial clinical hold on its Huntington’s disease candidate PTC518 after displaying favorable clinical trends in a mid-stage study.
This week on Denatured, Head of Insights Lori Ellis and guests discuss the persisting challenges of diversity, equity and inclusion when designing clinical trials.
Eli Lilly on Thursday said it is again suing spas and clinics over compounded and counterfeit forms of tirzepatide, the active ingredient in blockbusters Mounjaro and Zepbound, which the pharma says can cause harmful side effects.
Psychedelic drug developers are homing in on the potential $16 billion depression treatment market, with a particular focus on treatment-resistant depression.
Vaxxinity published data from an early-stage clinical trial showing that its investigative immunotherapy, UB-312, could improve movement in Parkinson’s disease and protect against pathological alpha-synuclein.
National Institutes of Health researchers in a Phase Ib/II study found a five-drug combination elicits strong remission rates in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients without using chemotherapeutic agents.
The next six months for the FDA are primed to be as groundbreaking as the first six, with Eli Lilly’s donanemab and Lykos Therapeutics’ MDMA-assisted PTSD therapy on the docket, among others.
Bucking its recent winning streak in oncology, AstraZeneca reported Tuesday that its AKT inhibitor Truqap failed to significantly boost overall survival in patients with triple-negative breast cancer.
Promising data from the DREAMM-7 and DREAMM-8 trials have revitalized GSK’s blockbuster goals for its antibody-drug conjugate Blenrep, positioned as a second-line treatment for multiple myeloma.
The FDA is facing four big target action dates in the final week of June, including one label expansion for a bispecific antibody and another for an investigational gene therapy.