Allovir Inc., which has struggled since late last December, will merge with privately held Kalaris Therapeutics Inc. to develop therapies for treating neovascular and exudative retinal diseases. Kalaris already has an anti-VEGF treatment in a phase I study with a data readout set for the third quarter of 2025. Once the deal closes, the combined company name will be Kalaris Therapeutics Inc. Nearly a year ago, Allovir scrapped development of posoleucel, an off-the-shelf, multivirus-specific T-cell therapy, which had advanced to three phase III trials. Allovir has been prioritizing its capital preservation and reviewing strategic options. Allovir’s stock (NASDAQ:ALVR) was struggling at midday, with shares down 32% to 67 cents each.

Friedreich’s ataxia space lively as PTC, Larimar, others advance

PTC Therapeutics Inc. is hoping the U.S. FDA’s familiarity with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) endpoints – having already cleared a drug for the disease – will help the chances of approval for the 15-lipoxygenase inhibitor vatiquinone. A handful of FA prospects are making their ways forward. Other developers include Larimar Therapeutics Inc., Design Therapeutics Inc., Lexeo Therapeutics LLC, and Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. with Voyager Therapeutics Inc.

Chinese, New Zealand researchers advance new FGFR inhibitor

University of Auckland senior research fellow Jeff Smaill first visited China in 2012 as part of a team of 15 scientists from the Maurice Wilkins Center, one of New Zealand’s centers of excellence, to meet with scientists at the Guangzhou Institute of Medicine and Health to find partners to collaborate on drug development projects. The scientists started collaborating that year, and the first project is already in phase I trials in China. It was a joint discovery and development partnership from the beginning, he said.

Biopharma IPOs raise nearly $1B in October from five public debuts

Biopharma financing continued to excel through the first 10 months of 2024, reaching $93.64 billion, a 53% increase from $61.04 billion during the same period in 2023. October saw $7.01 billion in total financings, marking a decline from September's $9.11 billion.

Less microglia activity may improve APOE4’s effect in Alzheimer’s

Reducing microglial activity in the presence of apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) has uncovered a mechanism associated with the deposition of misfolded amyloid and tau in a novel mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. By transplanting human neurons into the mouse brain and eliminating the mouse microglia, scientists at the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco observed that amyloid and tau deposition was reduced. These results support therapeutic strategies that target APOE4 and microglia.

Also in the news

ADC, Aditum, Altimmune, Arthex, Ascelia, Ascletis, Clearside Biomedical, Cumberland, Emergent Biosolutions, Geron, Impact, Lakeshore, Leads Biolabs, Lisata, Mustang, Neurocrine, Novocure, Ocugen, Protega, Rapport, Santen, Sarepta, Sonnet, Springworks, Valo, Viracta, Werewolf, Xilio