Frank Vinluan is senior biopharma reporter for MedCity News. He previously held business reporting positions at Xconomy, The Seattle Times, The Des Moines Register, and the Triangle Business Journal.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankvinluan/
Twitter: @frankvinluan
Takeda Pharmaceutical has secured an option on an Alzheimer’s disease immunotherapy from AC Immune that is on track to report its first Phase 2 data later this quarter. Exercising the option would make Takeda responsible for Phase 3 testing of the therapy, putting AC Immune in line for up to $2.1 billion in milestone payments.
Eli Lilly-partnered Lycia Therapeutics will use its Series C financing to continue developing its internal pipeline of protein-degrading drugs. The startup is working to reach the clinic with drugs for autoimmune and inflammatory disorders.
The TSX Venture Exchange has a strong history of helping early-stage health and life sciences companies raise patient capital for research and development.
Amgen is confident its injectable obesity drug would have a differentiated profile compared to medications now on the market from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly and it’s now preparing for Phase 3 testing. But an oral obesity drug in Amgen’s pipeline will not advance beyond Phase 1.
Mariana Oncology brings Novartis a lead radiopharmaceutical program in development for small cell lung cancer. The deal is the latest in a string of big pharma M&A moves in the red-hot radiopharmaceuticals space.
Pepper Bio has licensed rights to lerociclib, a molecule that G1 Therapeutics designed to offer dosing and safety advantages over approved therapies in the same drug class. EQRx previously held rights to the drug, but returned them after the company was acquired last year.
Enlaza Therapeutics’ drugs form covalent bonds that lock the therapy onto its target. With cancer as its initial focus, the startup contends its approach could offer safety and efficacy advantages compared to currently available targeted therapies.
At the Payer Insights sessions on Day 1 of ViVE 2024, a panel on prior authorization offered compelling insights from speakers who shared the positive developments in this area after years of mounting frustration. Speakers also shared challenges as they work with providers to figure out how policy developments and technology will work in practice.
The FDA approved X4 Pharmaceuticals drug Xolremdi for treating WHIM syndrome. The molecule, which addresses the underlying cause of this rare immunodeficiency, was licensed from Sanofi’s Genzyme subsidiary.
Ono Pharmaceutical’s acquisition of Deciphera Pharmaceuticals adds to a cancer drug pipeline that already spans multiple modalities. Deciphera develops drugs that target the on-off switch of enzymes that drive cancer cell growth.
Labcorp’s $239 million offer was selected as the winning bid for the assets of genetic testing company Invitae, which filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this year. The acquisition deal, Labcorp's second in the past month, will enable it to expand in oncology and rare diseases.
The FDA has approved Beqvez, a Pfizer gene therapy developed for moderate-to-severe hemophilia B. The one-time treatment carries a $3.5 million price tag, the same as a CSL Behring gene therapy already available for treating the inherited bleeding disorder.
Canada has a proud history of achievement in the areas of science and technology, and the field of biomanufacturing and life sciences is no exception.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is collaborating with CRISPR technologies startup Mammoth Biosciences to develop in vivo gene-editing therapies. The deal marks the third pharmaceutical industry partnership for Mammoth, which initially focused on developing CRISPR-based diagnostics.
Day One Biopharmaceuticals drug Ojemda is now FDA-approved for advanced pediatric low-grade glioma, the most common type of brain cancer in children. The regulatory decision for Ojemda covers a broader swath of patients than a drug combination from Novartis approved for treating this childhood cancer.
ImmunityBio therapy Anktiva is now FDA approved for treating patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. The novel immunotherapy works by sparking activity from three types of immune cells.
Two Japanese pharmaceutical companies and a bank are teaming up to form a joint venture to advance therapeutic discoveries from academia. The focus will be innovation from universities in Japan.
The first FDA-approved MASH drug doesn’t treat patients with liver cirrhosis. A new Boehringer Ingelheim/Ochre Bio collaboration is researching regenerative medicines that could treat patients in this most advanced stage of the fatty liver disease.