Affibody AB and its development partners, Acelyrin Inc. and Inmagene Biopharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., are accelerating plans to move the interleukin-17A inhibitor izokibep (formerly ABY-035) into phase III studies in psoriatic arthritis following better-than-expected phase II efficacy combined with an apparently clean safety profile.

Poor phase II top-line data for Immunic Inc.’s lead candidate, vidofludimus calcium (IMU-838) hammered the stock June 2 as the study of the selective oral DHODH inhibitor missed its primary endpoint of clinical remission in treating moderate to severe ulcerative colitis. The failure means Immunic won’t pursue a phase III study on its own in the indication, but it won’t affect the company’s planned phase III studies of IMU-838 in treating relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) and a phase II in treating progressive MS.

As the six-month interim analysis of phase II data for ATA-199 in progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) nears, investors in Atara Biotherapeutics Inc. – not to mention patients – are growing more intrigued by the prospect, an off-the-shelf T-cell candidate that targets Epstein Barr virus-infected B cells and plasma cells in the central nervous system.

Bone Therapeutics SA has entered an exclusive three-month discussion period with Medsenic SAS, which could culminate in a reverse merger. The potential transaction represents a lifeline for the troubled Belgian cell therapy developer, which is running out of cash and which has been more or less abandoned by its shareholders.