Dewpoint Therapeutics Inc. and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp. (MTPC) have entered a research collaboration worth up to $480 million to advance Dewpoint’s novel TDP-43 small-molecule condensate modulator for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Under terms of the deal, Dewpoint will receive an undisclosed up-front payment and is eligible to receive R&D-based milestone payments up to $480 million. Upon reaching those milestones, MTPC will have an exclusive option to license the program and assume responsibility for global clinical development and commercialization. Dewpoint will also receive tiered royalties on net sales.

AD efforts taking aim at tau still in the candidate mix as UCB/Roche and Voyager march on

Tau as a target in Alzheimer’s disease continues to intrigue developers. Voyager Therapeutics Inc. recently selected a lead development candidate, VY-1706. The compound is designed to work as a tau-silencing gene therapy. UCB SA and Roche AG offered endpoint-missing yet results at the Clinical Trials in Alzheimer’s Disease meeting in Madrid that still kept hope alive in the approach.

Hanmi Pharm invests ₩140B to grow China production, R&D base

Beijing Hanmi Pharm. Co. Ltd. broke ground on a ₩140 billion (US$98.65 million) large-scale project to build a near-500,000-square-foot China base near Beijing Capital International Airport in efforts to increase the company’s local production, R&D and office capabilities. “Thanks to full support from the Chinese government, phase one of construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of May 2026,” Hanmi Pharm Co. Ltd. said Dec. 6 on the groundbreaking ceremony. “Upon completion, [our local Chinese subsidiary, Beijing Hanmi,] will secure annual production capacity of 600 million capsules of finished pharmaceuticals and 90 tons of raw pharmaceuticals, along with an automated large-scale logistics warehouse.”

Biopharma financing climbs 46% year to date with $97.42B raised through November

Biopharma companies have raised $97.42 billion through November 2024, up 46% from $66.79 billion during the same period in 2023 and also more than $56.56 billion in 2022. However, this year’s total still trails the record highs of 2020-2021. November financings totaled $3.6 billion, a significant decline from $7.13 billion in October and $9.11 billion in September.

Ketone bodies could clear misfolded proteins in the brain

A ketone body, a molecule derived from the metabolism of acids to obtain energy when glucose is not available, could become an effective ally in treating Alzheimer’s or preventing the effects of aging on the brain. A group of scientists at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging have studied the role of β-hydroxybutyrate as a signaling metabolite of misfolded proteins by interacting with them and altering their solubility, a mechanism that allows their elimination, as observed in preclinical models.

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Affimed, Agenus, Artiva, Astrazeneca, Beam, Bioarctic, Bristol Myers Squibb, Cambium, CG, Cynata, Eisai, Genentech, GSK, Iliad, Janux, Medicenna, Merus, Mesoblast, Mind Medicine, Monte Rosa, Muna, Neuraxpharm, NLS, Nobias, Northstar, NTC, Nuvig, Oncoinvent, Peptidream, Phanes, Pharmaessentia, Protara, Quantum, Roche, Zhifei