Immunology and inflammation
Under the deal announced Friday, the Italian pharma will make an upfront payment of $825 million to Sanofi for global rights to a biologic for the treatment of cold agglutinin disease, with milestone payments of up to $250 million.
William Blair analyst Matt Phipps in a note to investors wrote that despite the patient deaths, the totality of the data still leans in favor of Kezar Life Sciences’ investigational immunoproteasome inhibitor zetomipzomib.
In the Phase III REGENCY study, Gazyva elicited superior complete renal response rates in patients with lupus nephritis versus placebo, positioning Roche’s therapeutic antibody for expansion into the indication.
Stifel analyst Paul Matteis called Tuesday’s readout a “positive surprise” that could reinvigorate some investor enthusiasm for Biogen as the company “has essentially become an out-of-favor value stock,” driven by the slow launch of its Alzheimer’s disease therapy Leqembi.
GSK’s twice-yearly depemokimab reduced asthma attacks by half and cut clinic visits by nearly three-quarters, positioning it for an estimated $4 billion in peak sales if approved.
If approved in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Nucala will compete with Verona’s Ohtuvayre and—pending a potential approval later this month—Sanofi and Regeneron’s blockbuster Dupixent.
J&J gained rights to the FcRn blocker nipocalimab when it acquired Momenta Pharmaceuticals in August 2020 for $6.5 billion.
Navigator Medicine is looking to push its lead asset NAV-240 targeting immune-mediated diseases through to clinical studies “in the coming months,” which the startup in-licensed from a South Korean biotech for $20 million upfront.
Venture capital in the sector hit $9.2 billion in the second quarter of 2024, up from $7.4 billion in Q1, while exits fell on a slower M&A cycle and picky IPO market.
The Swiss company’s monoclonal antibody Nemluvio is also undergoing regulatory review for atopic dermatitis, which is a potentially larger market for the first-in-class IL-31 blocker.
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