The EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended approval of 14 drugs and the extension of the label of 11 others at its July meeting, but, inevitably, it was the decision to turn down the Alzheimer’s disease therapy Leqembi (lecanemab) that stirred the greatest reaction.

Three Chinese biopharmaceuticals have filed for IPOs on the Hong Kong exchange in July alone, highlighting a potential “newfound positivity” to strengthen the HKEX IPO market in the second half of 2024.

Researchers from Shandong University and affiliated organizations have presented data from a study that aimed to assess the role of endosome-associated trafficking regulator 1 (ENTR1) in adipogenesis.

The U.S. FDA approval won in June by Argenx SE of subcutaneously given Vyvgart Hytrulo (efgartigimod alfa and hyaluronidase) for adults with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) sparked interest in other prospects taking aim at the rare disease. Some – including Argenx – are going after generalized myasthenia gravis and multifocal motor neuropathy with their compounds.

Astellas Pharma Inc.’s subsidiaries Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine (AIRM) and Universal Cells Inc. have entered into a research collaboration with Osaka University to develop a pluripotent stem cell-derived cartilage organoid cell therapy for the treatment of intervertebral disc degenerative disease.

C4X Discovery Ltd. has outlined its small-molecule drug discovery portfolio against a range of targets in the immuno-inflammatory field.

Myogenica Inc., a University of Minnesota startup company, has obtained IND approval from the FDA for Myopaxon, an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived muscle stem cell product to regenerate skeletal muscle. A planned study will evaluate intramuscular injections of Myopaxon in non-ambulatory adult patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Researchers from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) have found that CCN3, a hormone secreted by neurons in the brain, is responsible for maintaining bone strength during lactation.