A phase III failure for Roche Holding AG unit Genentech Inc.'s anti-TIGIT immunotherapy tiragolumab dragged down the share value of several other class entrants.
Kriya Therapeutics Inc. has raised a $270 million series C financing to further develop its pipeline of gene therapies for treating cancer, ophthalmological problems, and rare and chronic diseases. The Redwood City, Calif.-based company has greatly expanded its employee roster, from about seven people to around 160 people, since its $80 million series A in May 2020 and scaled its learning-enabled tech and cloud computing abilities. It also further solidified its technology, manufacturing, R&D, and therapeutics units, something it plans to continue with the series C money.
Six weeks ahead of its June 26 PDUFA date, the U.S. FDA has approved a priority NDA for Eli Lilly and Co.’s Mounjaro (tirzepatide), an injectable treatment for adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The once-weekly, first-in-class medicine activates both glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptors, which leads to improved blood sugar control. The potential market is massive, as 462 million people across the planet have T2D. The numbers have been growing 1.4% annually as the population ages and grows more obese.
Bridgebio Pharma Inc. is going back to the Bristol Myers Squibb Co. (BMS) well to restore its stalled momentum as the two companies have supercharged their July 2021 collaboration to develop an SHP2 inhibitor. Bridgebio could receive up to $905 million, including an up-front payment of $90 million plus $815 million in milestone and royalty payments, expected to be in the low- to midteens, in its new BMS collaboration to develop and commercialize BBP-398 in oncology.
A phase III failure for Roche Holding AG unit Genentech Inc.'s anti-TIGIT immunotherapy tiragolumab dragged down the share value of several other class entrants.
IPOs continue to be sluggish but two companies, Pepgen Inc. and Bausch & Lomb Corp., that began trading May 6 managed to sidestep the turbulence despite having to lower their expectations before the market opened.
With a 2020 launch behind it, Moma Therapeutics Inc. has completed a $150 series B financing to continue refining its pipeline of therapies targeting tough-to-drug enzymes in treating solid tumors.
Aspen Neuroscience Inc. has closed a series B financing of $147.5 million. The funds will help get its autologous neuron replacement candidate into a phase I/IIa study for Parkinson’s disease. Privately held Aspen has been talking about initiating the phase I/IIa clinical trial since at least 2019. But in April 2022, it came a lot closer to reality. That’s when the company launched its first patient screening studies at several sites in the U.S. Now, the trial-ready cohort study is designed to screen potential participants for the study.
IPOs continue to be sluggish but two companies, Pepgen Inc. and Bausch & Lomb Corp., that began trading May 6 managed to sidestep the turbulence despite having to lower their expectations before the market opened. Pepgen stock (NASDAQ:PEPG) closed at $12.89 per share May 6, up 7.4% on the day. Bausch & Lomb also had a solid IPO launch May 6 as shares (NYSE:BLCO) closed 11.1% upward at $20 each.
