Shares in Altimmune Inc. and Angion Biomedica Corp. were sharply down after the companies announced trial disappointments from a nasal COVID-19 vaccine and two investigational therapies. Altimmune was worst hit, with shares (NASDAQ:ALT) dropping 38% to $9.80 June 30 after announcing its nasal COVID-19 vaccine did not produce enough immune response and axing an immunotherapy trial after encountering problems finding enough subjects.

Hightide Therapeutics Inc. presented top-line results of its lead program, HTD-1801, from a multicenter phase II trial in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), which showed the drug candidate reduced alkaline phosphatase levels compared to placebo.

Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Addex, Astrazeneca, Brim, Celularity, Cerevel, Ciclomed, Compass Pathways, Elicio, F-star, Harmony, Horizon, Iovance, Moderna, Orchard, Pfizer, Propella, Synthetic Biologics, Trillium, VBI.

Shares of Sensei Biotherapeutics Inc. (NASADQ:SNSE) fell 16% to $9.10 on June 29 after an announcement by President and CEO John Celebi that the antigen display technology used in its prior lead candidate, SNS-301, "is suboptimal for use in an active cancer vaccine." A phase I/II trial evaluating it will be discontinued, he said. Now, work on a next-generation vaccine, SNS-401-NG, and the monoclonal antibody SNS-VISTA will take precedence in a portfolio reprioritization at the company, with IND-enabling studies for the anti-VISTA program planned to start by the end of 2021 and for the next-gen vaccine in second half of 2022.

Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Abbvie, Achieve, Clovis, Dare, Hoth, Ideaya, Intellia, Kymera, Maat, Neurophth, Onconova, Pinteon, Precision Biosciences, Regenerative Patch, Regeneron, RDIF, Rigel, Sab, Sanofi, Springworks, Zentalis.

Top-line data from a phase II trial of Italfarmaco SpA's givinostat in men with Becker muscular dystrophy found it failed to affect a significant change in total muscle fibrosis vs. placebo, the study's primary endpoint. But whether the outcome reflected a shortcoming of the drug or a function of the rare condition's clinical profile remained uncertain, with the company placing its bets on the latter.

CEO John Leonard said Intellia Therapeutics Inc. plans “to share information on a cohort-by-cohort basis, so we get a consistent readout” and, as the year goes on, longer-term follow-up findings will emerge from the phase I trial with the company’s lead in vivo genome editing candidate, NTLA-2001.

LONDON – New data have arrived to allay concerns about shortages of COVID-19 vaccines disrupting dosing schedules, and also answering the question of whether third – booster – doses will restore waning immunity and be effective against viral variants.