Amidst a successful conclusion to the 2024 JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, biotech and pharma layoff numbers are on a consistent rise with PMV Pharmaceuticals and Ikena Oncology being the latest to follow pharma giant Bayer’s recent restructuring plans. PMV Pharmaceuticals plans to fire 30% of its workforce in a bid to free capital that will go towards the development of its lead tumour agnostic therapy PC14586.As per the New Jersey-based company, the strategic restructuring will extend PMV’s cash runway until the end of 2026 and will allow the company to focus on discovery research efforts and prioritise initiation of a Phase II clinical study of p53 reactivator PC14586 that is slotted for commencement in Q1 2024. The precision oncology company’s latest restructuring follows a March 2023 pipeline optimisation effort, in which the company announced that its WIP-1 inhibitor and R273H mutation-targeting programs had been shelved to drive the development of ...
The American Society of Clinical Oncology Gastrointestinal Oncology Symposium (ASCO GI) was held in San Francisco from January 18 to 20, local time. As an academic event in the field of gastrointestinal tumors, ASCO GI showcased several heavyweight and innovative scientific advances in the field, especially the release of the Late-breaking Abstract (LBA) study, which will lead the way to a new direction in clinical treatment. Phase III study (ESCORT-NEO/NCCES01), led by Prof. Li Yin of Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, with the participation of 24 centers across China, was selected as LBA. Professor Li Yin reported the results of the study, which is the world’s first perioperative immunization Phase III study in esophageal cancer. Neoadjuvant carelizumab in combination with chemotherapy showed a significantly better pCR rate than that of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, achieving the primary endpoint without increasing the risk of surgery and with a manageable safety profile. ...
After crowning Keytruda as the first immunotherapy for advanced cervical cancer back in 2021, the FDA has awarded the drug another industry-first designation in an earlier stage of the tumor type. But again, the achievement was not perfect for Merck. Thanks to a new FDA nod, Merck’s Keytruda is the first PD-1 drug to be approved in combination with chemoradiotherapy to treat patients with stage 3 to 4a cervical cancer, the New Jersey pharma giant said Friday. This marks Keytruda’s 39th indication in the U.S. The approval, however, was narrower than expected. It came on the back of results from the Keynote-A18 trial, which showed a tumor progression benefit for the Keytruda-chemoradiation regimen in a broader patient population with earlier-stage cervical cancer. Keynote-A18 tested the Keytruda combo in patients whose cancer was as early as stage 1b2. Among the entire trial population, adding Keytruda to chemoradiotherapy slashed the risk of ...
Recently, the latest clinical data of two Henlius products were released online and will be presented in poster sessions at the 2024 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium (ASCO GI), namely, the phase 2/3 study (HLX10-015-CRC301) of Henlius’ NMPA approved anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) HANSIZHUANG (serplulimab) in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) with Professor Rui-Hua Xu of Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center as the leading principal investigator, and the phase 2 study (HLX22-GC-201) of Henlius’ novel anti-HER2 mAb, HLX22, combined with HANQUYOU (trastuzumab for injection, HLX02, trade name in Europe: Zercepac®; trade names in Australia: Tuzucip® and Trastucip®) and chemotherapy for the first-line treatment of HER2-positive gastric/gastroesophageal junction (G/GEJ) cancer with Professor Jin Li of Shanghai East Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University as the leading principal investigator of this study. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies globally. Over 1.9 million newly diagnosed cases and more than 900,000 deaths ...
Two cancer therapies have topped Clarivate Analytics’ Drugs to Watch in 2024, an annual report that identifies potential blockbusters and other medicines that could “transform treatment paradigms.” Clarivate predicts Johnson & Johnson’s combination treatment Akeega and Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca’s datopotamab deruxtecan will generate $2.7 billion in sales each in 2029. On the list of 15 transformative medicines, these are the only ones expected to exceed $2 billion in sales by 2029. Clarivate’s report, which is in its 12th year, highlights drugs that have recently been approved or are expected to be approved in 2024. Its sales estimates cover the G7 countries—U.S., U.K., Japan, France, Italy, Germany and Canada. J&J was the only company with more than one drug on the list. Clarivate also spotlighted J&J’s Talvey, a first-in-class bispecific antibody to treat multiple myeloma. The analysts forecast Talvey’s sales will reach $850 million in 2029. The only other cancer ...
Pfizer is still hungry for ADC opportunities, including in the Far East. Astellas’ impressive phase 3 data for its gastric cancer candidate couldn’t garner an approval because of manufacturing issues. Takeda’s 2022 TYK2 buy from Nimbus was highly competitive, an exec said. And more. 1. JPM24: Even after Seagen buyout, Pfizer oncology chief still eyes ADC deals As Pfizer continues its prowl for antibody-drug conjugate (ADCs) deals, the company is keeping an eye on opportunities around the globe. In an interview, Pfizer’s new oncology chief Chris Boshoff, Ph.D., said the company is looking for opportunities in China, which he said “is important in this whole area, especially ADC development.” The company is “not currently looking for big acquisitions,” Boshoff added. 2. Astellas’ gastric cancer candidate rejected by FDA because of manufacturing issues After running two phase 3 trials, Astellas’ near-term approval ambitions for its zolbetuximab have been dashed because of ...
Astellas Pharma’s zolbetuximab was on track to become the first gastric cancer drug that targets claudin 18.1, a protein found on cancerous stomach cells. Others with clinical-stage programs addressing this this target include AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers Squibb. By FRANK VINLUAN Astellas Pharma’s path to winning the first drug approval for a particular promising gastrointestinal cancer target has hit a detour. The FDA turned down the drugmaker’s application, citing manufacturing issues for the therapy, zolbetuximab. Astellas announced the FDA action earlier this week. The company did not go into detail about the problems spotted by the regulator, but described them as “unresolved deficiencies following its pre-license inspection of a third-party manufacturing facility for zolbetuximab.” Astellas added that the agency did not raise any concerns about the safety or efficacy of the drug, nor is it asking for additional clinical data. Zolbetuximab was developed as a treatment for patients with locally ...
Pfizer knows it had a bad year in 2023. Speaking to reporters at the 2024 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Monday, the company’s CEO, Albert Bourla, spoke bluntly about the hits the company took, and he acknowledged the underperformance of certain key launches. But 2024 represents a fresh opportunity for the pharma giant, Bourla said. “In essence, you should expect 2024—after all the changes in the setup that we did in year ’23—to be a year of execution,” he told the JPM audience. Pfizer will attempt to execute, in part, by leveraging its recent $43 billion buyout of antibody-drug conjugate specialist Seagen, Bourla explained. Further, the company hopes to advance its presence in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), where Pfizer recently launched its vaccine Abrysvo. Still, Bourla was frank about the challenges Pfizer faced in 2023. “The year for us, we missed our internal projections. And also we missed the expectations ...
Pharmaceutical Executive Editorial Staff Moderna’s vaccine revenue dropped from $18.4 billion in 2022 to $6.7 billion in 2023, however the company anticipates profitability this year powered by COVID-19 vaccine sales and the launch of its mRNA-based respiratory syncytial virus vaccine. Sales of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine dropped from $18.4 billion in 2022 to $6.7 billion in 2023, which was ultimately above projections, the company announced in a business update presented at the at 42nd annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference. The significant decline in people seeking immunizations for COVID-19 products last year comes at a time when the virus is still surging worldwide. The decline resulted in shares of Moderna dropping by approximately 45% last year; however, the shares are up more than 60% following a drop to approximately $70 per share in November 2023. Moderna projected that it would reach the lower end of its forecast range of $6 billion to ...
COLUMBUS, Ohio, & SHANGHAI, Jan. 11, 2024 – Sermonix Pharmaceuticals Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics to specifically treat metastatic breast cancers harboring ESR1 mutations, and Shanghai Henlius Biotech, Inc. (2696.HK), today announced a strategic collaboration agreement in which Henlius will receive exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize Sermonix’s lead investigational drug, lasofoxifene, in China. Under the terms of the agreement, Henlius will receive exclusive rights and sublicenses to lasofoxifene for at least two estrogen receptor-positive (ER+)/HER2- breast cancer indications in the territory, with Sermonix retaining all other global rights. Sermonix received an upfront payment and is further eligible to receive up to $58 million in certain predetermined milestones, in addition to royalties upon Henlius commercialization in China. Breast cancer is the cancer with the highest incidence rate in the world, according to GLOBOCAN 2020. There were 2.26 million new cases of breast cancer in 2020 ...
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