Drug Development
The mid-stage disappointment in Alzheimer’s disease delivers another blow to Neuphoria Therapeutics, which in November last year was forced to launch a strategic business review after a Phase 3 trial in social anxiety disorder failed.
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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.
The FDA plans to hold an advisory committee meeting to discuss Capricor Therapeutics’ application for deramiocel, which the agency rejected last July. The news surprised CEO Linda Marbán, who told BioSpace the FDA has not communicated any issues of concern with the company’s resubmitted application.
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After 27 deaths were reported in a group receiving its blood cancer drug, ADC Therapeutics is downsizing, implementing layoffs for about 30 workers.
A few short days after announcing an FDA pivot on a separate asset, REGENXBIO is planning to test the agency’s apparent newfound rare disease outlook on another late-stage gene therapy.
Novartis and Antares Therapeutics are shooting for the stars, launching a joint mission to develop small molecule oncology therapies.
AbbVie scooped up immunology player Apogee Therapeutics for nearly $11 billion in one of the year’s top deals to-date, while Sanofi made a big play to survive its upcoming Dupixent patent cliff; FDA uncertainty continues as the agency changes direction on gene therapies by uniQure and REGENXBIO; and Jef Akst and Annalee Armstrong report back from San Diego.
Speaking to media on Tuesday, BIO CEO John Crowley complimented China’s rise as a biotech powerhouse but said U.S. policy needs to protect and maintain America’s lead.
As Sangamo runs out of cash, Eli Lilly and Astellas have emerged as stalking horse bidders for key assets, including a Fabry gene therapy currently being submitted for potential FDA approval.
Given its intravenous route of administration, Merck’s tulisokibart will likely “need to be meaningfully improved” over Roche’s afimkibart, which can be given subcutaneously, BMO Capital Markets analysts said. Both assets are being tested for ulcerative colitis.
While existing antibody-drug conjugates have been incredible advancements in cancer care, patients are ready for a better experience. At the BIO International Convention in San Diego on Thursday, BioSpace will lead a discussion on the next generation of ADCs.
Despite an overall survival miss, Leerink Partners said Pfizer’s antibody-drug conjugate showed “promising” signals of efficacy in a subgroup of patients who had undergone only one prior line of treatment.
China’s Haisco Pharmaceutical continues to wield deals, this time out-licensing rights to two late-stage programs to New Jersey biotech Nuvectis.