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New data on Hengrui Pharma and Kailera Therapeutics’ investigational oral GLP-1 have validated the late-stage weight loss asset and paved the road for a regulatory submission in China, but analysts pointed to high rates of nausea and vomiting that could challenge the ongoing U.S. study.
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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.
Last month, the FDA launched TrialBlazer, intended to streamline the IND path and bring early clinical trials and medical innovation home to the U.S. It’s a start, but new agency leadership must see it through.
FDA
Significant leadership instability at the FDA—compounded by continued workforce attrition—led to a slight slowdown in overall regulatory productivity in the first half of this year, but the agency has been catching up of late.
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Congressional letters sent to the CEOs of Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Merck, BMS and AbbVie this week voicing concerns about the pharmas’ clinical trials in China highlight an ongoing discrepancy in how government and industry think about the rise of the Asian country’s biotech industry.
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Second-quarter revenues were better than analysts expected as Merck reported 16% growth for its blockbuster cancer treatment Keytruda, while Pfizer benefited from its ongoing cost-cutting efforts and sales of its COVID-19 antiviral Paxlovid.
Cognitive function in the liraglutide cohort declined 18% slower than in the placebo arm over one year of treatment, researchers announced Tuesday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.
BioNTech and Regeneron will face off against Merck and Moderna, which are advancing their investigational cancer vaccine mRNA-4157/V940 in combination with Keytruda, in advanced melanoma.
Adding to growing evidence of its benefits beyond glucose control and weight loss, Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic could also potentially help diabetics quit smoking, according to new research.
AstraZeneca is seeking a fixed-duration approval for Calquence, which will allow patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia to take breaks from the therapy and prevent excessive toxicities and drug resistance.
Back-to-back failures in psoriasis and Crohn’s disease have forced Ventyx Biosciences to abandon the development of its investigational oral TYK2 inhibitor VTX958.
Flagship Pioneering and its portfolio companies are in line to receive up to $720 million in milestones for each of the 10 programs that GSK could option, according to Monday’s announcement.
Under the deal announced Monday with the California biotech, German pharma Boehringer Ingelheim is gaining access to novel immune checkpoint inhibitors designed to activate the immune system to fight cancer cells.
With the BIOSECURE Act likely to be voted on in Congress this year, WuXi AppTec’s U.S. revenue dropped 1.2% in the first half of 2024 while the Chinese company increased its lobbying efforts.
The regulator on Friday warned healthcare providers and patients about adverse events linked with dosing errors from compounded versions of Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss and diabetes drugs.