South Korean artificial intelligence-based drug developer Pharos Ibio Co. Ltd. said that the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) granted an orphan drug designation for PHI-101, a second-line therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
After receiving a complete response letter from the U.S. FDA more than three years ago and conducting another phase III trial, Iterum Therapeutics plc is preparing to make its case before an advisory committee Sept. 9 for sulopenem etzadroxil/probenecid as an oral treatment option for women with uncomplicated urinary tract infections caused by specific microorganisms.
Cytokinetics Inc. CEO Robert Blum said his firm chalked “a watershed moment” during last weekend’s congress of European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in London, where further mid- and late-stage data were disclosed with the heart drug aficamten, a myosin inhibitor. South San Francisco-based Cytokinetics rolled out six presentations, including two late breakers, with four concurrent publications in medical journals.
Advanz Pharma Ltd. has won a stay on the withdrawal of its primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) drug, Ocaliva (obeticholic acid), after the European Commission (EC) said on Sept. 3 that the conditional marketing approval should be revoked. Following that, London-based Advanz launched a legal challenge, announcing on Sept 5 that the General Court of the EU has temporarily suspended the EC’s decision. As a result, the conditional marketing authorization for Ocaliva remains in place until further notice from the court, and the 7,000 existing patients – and new ones – will still have access to the farnesoid X receptor agonist.
NRG Therapeutics Ltd. has been awarded a grant from Target ALS Foundation to support its discovery program for a treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Essential branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) such as leucine, isoleucine or valine, cannot be synthesized by mammals, making them an obligate part of the diet.
Researchers from Astrazeneca plc presented the structure and preclinical characterization of a novel PCSK9 inhibitor, AZD-0780, being developed for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. A new potentially druggable functional binding pocket was identified on the PCSK9 C-terminal domain (CTD), and multiple fragment screens generated a single CTD-binding hit.
Athira CEO Mark Litton said the firm is “evaluating all the options” after disclosing top-line results from its phase II/III Lift-AD clinical trial of fosgonimeton (fosgo), a hepatocyte growth factor-positive modulator, in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Javier San Martin, chief medical officer, said the company will schedule “a conversation at the right time” with the U.S. FDA.
Jacobio Pharmaceuticals Group Co. Ltd. out-licensed rights for two lung cancer assets in China to Shanghai Allist Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. through a potential ¥900 million (US$126.4 million) deal. Beijing-headquartered Jacobio said Aug. 30 that it signed off development, regulatory and commercial milestone rights to both glecirasib, a KRAS G12C inhibitor first targeting non-small-cell lung cancer, and a SHP2 inhibitor called JAB-3312.
George Medicines Ltd. has published positive data from two phase III studies showing GMRx2, a low-dose triple-drug combination treatment for hypertension, is superior to dual combinations of its components.