Akeso Inc. has been given the green light by China’s NMPA for its PD-1/CTLA-4 antibody Kaitanni (cadonilimab), which was approved for the treatment of patients with relapsed or metastatic cervical cancer whose disease has progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy.
London-based Invox Pharma Ltd. has announced plans to acquire F-star Therapeutics Inc. for $161 million to build up the presence of its parent company, Sino Biopharm Ltd., outside of China.
Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has given Otsuka Holdings Co. Ltd. subsidiary Taiho Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. the green light for its oral heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) inhibitor Jeselhy (pimitespib) to treat gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) that have progressed after chemotherapy. The company will soon commercialize the drug in Japan.
Astellas Pharma Inc. and Sutro Biopharma Inc. signed an exclusive global licensing deal under which Sutro will develop immunostimulatory antibody-drug conjugates (iADCs) for three biological targets for Astellas.
Profoundbio Inc. closed a $70 million series A financing round that will see it advance its two lead antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) programs to the clinic. The Suzhou, China, and Woodinville, Wash.-based company has raised a total of more than $138 million in the past two years.
Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd.’s quizartinib met the primary endpoint of overall survival in the pivotal phase III Quantum-First study, which tested the addition of quizartinib to chemotherapy vs. chemotherapy alone for adults with newly diagnosed FLT3-ITD-positive acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Everest Medicines Ltd. has picked up its first marketing approval in China for Trodelvy (sacituzumab govitecan), a medicine licensed from Gilead Sciences Inc. It was approved to treat adults with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer who have received two or more prior systemic therapies, at least one of them for metastatic disease.
Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Co. Ltd., its subsidiary Shengdi Investment Management Holding Co. Ltd., and Hengrui Group are to invest ¥2.01 billion (US$301 million) to jointly set up an equity investment company targeting pharmaceutical and health care companies.
Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) has inked a deal with Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH to develop and commercialize targeted cancer therapies.
The world’s biggest cancer-focused conference began June 3 as more than 40,000 attendees are expected at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) annual gathering. The conference is being held in live in Chicago and is also available virtually. Among the more than 2,500 abstract presentations in about 120 subject subcategories are potential breakthroughs in treating non-small-cell lung cancer from Immutep Ltd., Cullinan Oncology Inc. and Surface Oncology Inc. Each company has seen upticks in their stock value, some as much as 10%, during the week as the conference approached and their data are presented.