Just shy of four years ago, MEI Pharma Inc. and Helsinn Group hashed out a $464 million deal to develop and commercialize pracinostat. Now an interim futility analysis has persuaded them to halt their phase III study in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) while, pending further evaluation, patients enrolled in other pracinostat studies continue their treatment.
Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: 4D, Abivax, Apellis, Biocardia, Menarini, Moleculin, Pfizer, Vaccibody.
Strongly positive histological data from Akero Therapeutics Inc. is being seen as setting a potentially new high bar in treating nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), but 89bio Inc.’s NASH treatment, on a similar development timeline, is sharing in the success.
LONDON – Biontech SE announced positive preliminary data from the ongoing phase I/II trial of one of the four COVID-19 vaccines it is developing with Pfizer Inc., with participants in each of three dose groups mounting immune responses that were greater than seen in patients who recovered from COVID-19 infections.
Zynerba Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s stock was slashed nearly in half June 30 as the company’s pivotal Connect-FX study for treating fragile X syndrome behavioral symptoms failed to achieve statistical significance in its primary and three key secondary endpoints.
Shares of Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals Ltd. hit a 52-week high on June 29 as pivotal phase III results showed that Arcalyst (rilonacept), a medicine it licensed from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., led to a 96% reduction in risk of recurrent pericarditis events among 61 people not helped by standard-of-care treatments.
LONDON – Scientists investigating the impact of SARS-CoV-19 on protein expression in human cells have shown that infected cells develop virus-laden membrane protrusions, or filopodia, which may explain the rapidity of viral spread through the body.