Johnson & Johnson’s oral psoriasis drug met the goals of a mid-stage clinical study, and the pharma giant now plans to advance the twice-daily pill to Phase 3 testing. J&J is one of several biopharmaceutical companies developing pill alternatives to biologic drugs that are injected or infused.
FDA approval of Tecvayli, from Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Biotech, makes it the newest therapy that treats multiple myeloma by targeting the cancer protein BCMA. Though this off-the-shelf drug offers patients a more convenient dosing option, it comes with similar complication risks as other biologics approved for this type of blood cancer.
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.
Clinical-stage Xencor is receiving $100 million up front and a $25 million equity investment, while Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Biotech subsidiary gets global rights to plamotamab, a bispecific antibody. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Roche are also developing bispecific antibodies against the same targets, but Xencor’s drug has a feature that could be a competitive advantage.
As U.S. plans for Covid-19 booster shots unfold, Johnson & Johnson is angling to join the mix, reporting data that it says support a second shot of its vaccine. But the data the company points to are sparse and it’s not entirely clear they support booster shots.
The Theravance Biopharma drug is the lead program in an alliance with Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Biotech, which paid $100 million up front to develop the JAK inhibitor for intestinal diseases. Following the Phase 2 failure, Theravance said it will minimize spending on that program.