Scientists at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR) in Cambridge have discovered a small molecule that could be used as a therapy for sickle cell disease (SCD). The molecular glue oral degraders of the WIZ transcription factor called dWIZ-1 and dWIZ-2, bind to cereblon (CRBN) and WIZ, marking it for degradation and inducing the expression of fetal hemoglobin (HbF).
Tokyo-headquartered Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. said Aug. 1 that it will acquire Boston-based Jnana Therapeutics Inc. through a potential $1.125 billion M&A deal. Under the terms, Otsuka will work to close the transaction by the third quarter of 2024, with $800 million paid out to Jnana shareholders, along with up to $325 million in additional development and regulatory milestones payments.
As the Sept. 21 PDUFA date looms for arimoclomol from Zevra Therapeutics Inc. in Niemann-Pick type C (NPC), the U.S. FDA’s newly formed Genetic Metabolic Diseases Advisory Committee (GeMDAC) decided in favor of the drug.
Researchers from the University of Minnesota have presented the discovery and preclinical characterization of a novel potent inhibitor of multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1), ZW-1226, that is being developed as a therapeutic candidate for the treatment of multidrug resistant (MDR) cancers.
Researchers from East China Normal University and Fudan University presented the discovery of a new oral compound, Z-526, being developed as a treatment to alleviate chemotherapy-induced cachectic muscle loss.
Researchers from Xiamen University and affiliated organizations have presented the discovery of NB-1, a novel orally active Nur77 ligand being developed for the treatment of cancer.
Zevra Therapeutics Inc. will make its case Aug. 2 for its Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) candidate, arimoclomol, when the U.S. FDA’s Genetic Metabolic Diseases Advisory Committee (GeMDAC) meets for the first time.
Ensho Therapeutics Inc. launched in July after licensing a pipeline of four oral α4β7 inhibitors for inflammatory and gastrointestinal disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), from EA Pharma Co. Ltd. “Millions of people worldwide are living with IBD,” Ensho founder, president and executive chair Neena Bitritto-Garg recently told BioWorld, “and while there are a number of approved medications to address the symptoms of IBD, it remains a difficult-to-treat disease with high relapse rates for a considerable proportion of patients.”
Researchers from University of Washington presented the discovery of novel bumped kinase inhibitor (BKI) derived compound (BKIDC), BKIDC-1553, being developed for the treatment of prostate cancer.
Montara Therapeutics Inc. has received $8 million seed financing from several investors to further its development of its ’binary pharmacology’ for diseases of the brain.