Clinical research

Delivering therapeutics directly to tumors, as in the case of Replimune’s recently approved Tudriqev and Amgen’s Imlygic, holds advantages, especially when cancer is caught early, but challenges remain before the method becomes a mainstay in treatment.
As Xenon Pharmaceuticals announced that azetukalner has reached the FDA for focal seizures, the company also disclosed the emergence of psychosis adverse events in psychiatric trials of the drug, triggering a temporary pause.
Bristol Myers Squibb acquired the degrader-antibody conjugate from Orum Therapeutics in 2023 for $100 million upfront and the possibility of up to $80 million more in milestones.
With just over $10 million in cash available to fuel operations through the end of the year, Longeveron is undertaking a strategic review after the failure of a cardiovascular study.
In this episode of Denatured, you’ll hear Philip Jacob Rosenfeld, professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Miami Health System and Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, and Wesley Jackson, chief science officer at Valitor. We talk about the eye condition call wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the limits of anti‑VEGF therapy and the push for true durability to change a patient’s life.
ALS
The TREM2 stabilizer failed to show efficacy in a Phase 2 trial of patients with early-stage ALS. This development follows two late-stage trial failures reported by Novartis last week, plus the news that the pharma has paused multiple CAR T cell trials following patient deaths.
FDA
The FDA held a public forum on Monday to discuss the future of psychedelic therapeutics, followed by a meeting on Wednesday regarding recommendations for reauthorizing the Prescription Drug User Fee Act the day after launching its TrialBlazer initiative. Meanwhile, Definium Therapeutics notched another late-stage trial win for its LSD drug, and Novartis continues to reel from the company’s triple asset stumble.
Analysts believe Cullinan Therapeutics and Taiho Oncology can overcome the safety risks as zipalertinib “sets [a] new bar” for first-line treatment of a type of lung cancer. The candidate is already under review for the the second-line setting, with a decision expected by early next year.
BioNTech, Summit Therapeutics, GSK and Roche have made a splash at the ongoing World Conference on Lung Cancer taking place in South Korea. These companies and their partners have all shared new findings for their closely watched programs, highlighting overall survival benefits in various types of lung cancer.
Positive topline results from a second straight study in generalized anxiety disorder shift the narrative for Definium Therapeutics’ DT120 to commercialization, Jefferies analysts said Monday, while Stifel wrote that the asset is moving towards an FDA submission.
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