After trading as low as $2.04, shares of Palatin Technologies Inc. (NYSE:PTN) closed Feb. 28 down $1.57, or 39.7%, ending at $2.39 on word of results from the phase III pivotal Melody-1 trial with melanocortin pan-agonist PL-9643 vs. vehicle in dry eye disease.
Strong early data of Janux Therapeutics Inc.’s tumor-activated T-cell engager compounds JANX-007 and JANX-008 sent the San Diego-based company’s shares surging by 229%, indicating enthusiasm for their best-in-class potential and the possibility of tapping into multibillion-dollar prostate cancer and solid tumor markets.
The enticing prospect – and proven worth – of dually agonizing the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptors gained more evidence in a big way from Viking Therapeutics Inc. with VK-2735 in a phase II weight loss study. Shares of San Diego-based Viking Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) closed Feb. 27 at $85.05, up $46.57, or 121%, as investors learned that the drug achieved the primary and all secondary endpoints in the phase II study called Venture, with significant body-weight drops at all doses compared to placebo.
Amid intensifying competition in the PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint space, Samsung Bioepis Co. Ltd. kicked off a phase I study of SB-27, a biosimilar of Merck & Co Inc.’s blockbuster immunotherapy, Keytruda (pembrolizumab), for lung cancer. Posted on clinicaltrials.gov on Feb. 20, the randomized, double-blind, three-arm, parallel group and multicenter phase I study will examine the pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety of SB-27 against an EU-sourced and U.S.-sourced Keytruda in 135 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.
Kazia Therapeutics Ltd. stopped its two-part paxalisib plus radiotherapy phase I trial early based on positive safety and promising clinical responses in patients with phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway mutation brain metastases from solid tumors. The company plans to meet with the U.S. FDA to discuss a pivotal registrational trial.
With a regulatory filing expected later this year for gepotidacin based on positive data in uncomplicated urinary tract infections, GSK plc reported that the potentially first-in-class oral antibiotic hit its endpoints in a phase III trial in uncomplicated urogenital gonorrhea, the sexually transmitted disease facing a rise in incidence rate and increased antibiotic resistance.
In the first month of 2024, BioWorld reported on 252 phase I-III clinical trial updates, marking a 10% decrease from the 281 updates in December 2023, as well as a decline from 354 updates in November and 416 in October. The number of trial updates is also a 10% drop compared to January 2023, which recorded 281 updates.
Kazia Therapeutics Ltd. stopped its two-part paxalisib plus radiotherapy phase I trial early based on positive safety and promising clinical responses in patients with phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway mutation brain metastases from solid tumors. The company plans to meet with the U.S. FDA to discuss a pivotal registrational trial.
The first – and handsomely upsized – IPO of this year by CG Oncology Inc., along with the sizeable financing Feb. 14 by Engene Holdings Inc., proved Wall Street’s interest in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, where a number of other players also are busy.
Amid intensifying competition in the PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint space, Samsung Bioepis Co. Ltd. kicked off a phase I study of SB-27, a biosimilar of Merck & Co Inc.’s blockbuster immunotherapy, Keytruda (pembrolizumab), for lung cancer. Posted on clinicaltrials.gov on Feb. 20, the randomized, double-blind, three-arm, parallel group and multicenter phase I study will examine the pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety of SB-27 against an EU-sourced and U.S.-sourced Keytruda in 135 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.
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