Cellular senescence is a state of terminal cell cycle arrest that is being increasingly explored for its role in cancer therapeutics. Researchers from Ocean University of China reported on AS-1041, an anthraquinone compound derived from the marine compound Aspergiolide A, designed to be used against leukemia due to its pro-senescence effect.
The most comprehensive analysis of gene dependencies in cancer cells to date has identified 370 “highly enriched” drug targets in defined molecular backgrounds. This latest iteration of the Cancer Dependency Map, published in Cancer Cell, Jan. 11, 2024, builds on an earlier version published in 2019, which was based on 324 cell lines.
“This is a tough business. It’s never a straight line from start to success.” Those words, from Exelixis Inc. CEO Michael Morrissey, during a presentation at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference (JPM), could easily sum up any aspect of the biopharma industry. But with more biopharma firms than ever having reached commercial status, along with the introduction of new therapeutic modalities into the health care market, many are finding the toughest part comes after regulatory approval, whether it’s navigating a competitive landscape, getting payers and physicians on board, or satisfying regulators’ stringent postmarketing requirements. As industry players and observers head home after a busy week in San Francisco, BioWorld offers a brief glimpse at a few firms taking on those post-approval challenges in 2024.
Six weeks after the U.S. FDA issued an alert, the EMA is following suit and starting a review of the safety of six approved CAR T-cell cancer therapies, following 23 reports of patients developing secondary cancers. The EMA said such malignancies were considered “an important potential risk” at the time of approval and are included in the risk management plan. Close monitoring is in place, with companies required to conduct long-term safety and efficacy follow-up studies and to file safety update reports.
U.S. biopharma Sermonix Pharmaceuticals Inc. handed off China rights of lasofoxifene, an oral endocrine therapy in development for breast cancer, to Shanghai’s Henlius Biotech Inc., for an undisclosed up-front payment and up to $58 million in milestone fees.
Insilico Medicine IP Ltd. has divulged cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) and/or CDK19 dual inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and cancer.
Medshine Discovery Inc. has identified EGFR (del19/Thr790Met/Cys797Ser triple mutant) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Euregen Biopharma Co. Ltd. has disclosed son of sevenless homolog 1 (SOS1)/GTPase KRAS (G12C mutant) interaction inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.
Biocytocgen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co. Ltd. has entered into an exclusive option and license agreement with Radiance Biopharma Inc., granting Radiance an option to license from Biocytogen a first-in-class fully human anti-HER2/TROP2 bispecific antibody-drug conjugate (BsADC).
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