The industry is looking, with renewed hope, to the “promise” of messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics for a wide range of diseases beyond COVID-19, and not only in vaccine form but also for gene and cell therapies.
Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. is adding one more income stream to its portfolio, with the $100 million acquisition of Apeiron Biologics AG, owner of royalty rights to Qarziba, a treatment for high risk neuroblastoma that is currently marketed in 35 countries and is en route to approval in the U.S.
Soligenix Inc. investors were extremely enthusiastic about the positive interim update for the company’s cancer therapy and light device, Hybryte, for treating for treating early stage cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. The Princeton, N.J.-based company’s stock (NASDAQ:SNGX) soared a whopping 464% before closing at a more modest but still massive of 271% increase to $7.42 each on July 9.
Biocity Biopharmaceutics Co. Ltd.’s selective endothelin receptor type A antagonist, SC-0062, met the primary endpoint of reducing proteinuria in a phase II chronic kidney disease trial. The candidate showed a clinically meaningful and statistically significant reduction in proteinuria, with a clear dose-response relationship and good safety profile.
Ideaya Biosciences Inc. appears to be in the lead to develop a treatment for tumors with deletions in both copies of methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP). Despite the large market with an estimated annual incidence rate in the U.S. of approximately 75,000 patients, there are no FDA approved therapies for MTAP-deleted solid tumors.
As developers in the oft-troubled TIGIT class forge onward, Roche Holding AG’s Genentech unit provided an unfavorable update July 5 on the phase II/III Skyscraper-06 study testing anti-TIGIT candidate tiragolumab plus Tecentriq (atezolizumab) and chemotherapy vs. Keytruda (pembrolizumab, Merck & Co. Inc.) and chemo as first-line treatment for non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Nanjing, China-based Iaso Biotherapeutics Co. Ltd. has bought out global rights to human anti-B cell maturation antigen CAR T Fucaso (equecabtagene autoleucel) from partner Innovent Biologics Inc.
Seoul, South Korea-based Genexine Co. Ltd. plans to merge with privately held EPD Biotherapeutics Co. Ltd. by October 2024 to build a pipeline of novel targeted protein degradation therapeutics with EPD Bio’s BioPROTAC platform technology.
Scientists at the University of Washington have engineered human plasma B cells modified to express long-lasting bispecific antibodies that could be used to treat leukemia without requiring continuous dosing.
Tracon Pharmaceuticals Inc. is shuttering all development of its subcutaneous PD-L1 antibody, envafolimab, after the pivotal trial failed to meet the primary endpoint in soft tissue sarcoma.
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