The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Candel Therapeutics’ immunotherapy candidate CAN-2409 (aglatimagene besadenovec) orphan drug designation for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Orphan drug designations are granted to medicines intended to treat rare conditions and come with benefits such as tax credits for US-based clinical trials and potentially seven years of market exclusivity in the designated indication upon agency approval. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal forms of cancer, with a survival rate beyond ten years of around 5%. CAN-2409 was also granted fast track designation in pancreatic cancer by the FDA in December 2023, meaning the candidate is in line for expedited development and review times. CAN-2409 is an off-the-shelf immunotherapy that is a combination of a genetically modified adenovirus and the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) gene. The drug works by inducing T cell response at both the targeted tumour and at ...
XIlio Therapeutics has implemented cost-cutting measures which include a 21% workforce reduction and the termination of investments for developing one of its assets, XTX202, as a monotherapy. Xilio expects to incur one-time cost of approximately $1m for reducing its workforce by 15 employees. The company has reported $44.7m in cash reserves, which are expected to fund the company’s activities into Q2 2025. The Waltham, Massachusetts-based company’s market cap currently stands at $42.1m. Following the recent round of layoffs, Xilio joins a list of pharmaceutical companies including Atreca, Candel Therapeutics, Kinnate Bio, and NexImmune that have fired workers to funnel more money into their clinical development pipelines in the last few months. The company plans to not investigate XTX202, a tumour-activated beta-gamma biased interleukin (IL)-2, as a monotherapy and instead will explore partnerships to develop the therapy as a combination treatment. The therapy was evaluated in an open label Phase I/II ...
Cancer drug developer Boundless Bio is a pioneer in therapies that target extrachromosomal DNA. The IPO cash will support its pipeline, including a lead program on track to report preliminary data later this year. By FRANK VINLUAN Targeted therapies and immunotherapies offer new treatment options for more types of cancer, but these drugs are less helpful when tumors produce multiple copies of a gene. This gene amplification contributes to drug resistance. Boundless Bio’s research into the what drives this phenomenon has yielded new understanding of cancer biology. The company now has $100 million in IPO cash to support two programs in early clinical development and more in its pipeline. Boundless Bio late Wednesday priced its offering of 6.25 million shares at $16 each, which was the midpoint of the preliminary $15 to $17 price range the San Diego-based company set last week. Those shares will trade on the Nasdaq under ...
Mirador Therapeutics applies machine learning to human data to discover new immunology and inflammation drugs. The startup’s management includes several from the executive team of Prometheus Biosciences, an immunology biotech bought by Merck last year. By FRANK VINLUAN Nearly a year ago, Merck struck a $10.8 billion deal to acquire Prometheus Biosciences, a clinical-stage company whose technology platform analyzed genetics and biology data to discover new drugs. The executive who led Prometheus to that buyout is now back with a new immunology startup supported by $400 million. Mirador Therapeutics launched Thursday, aiming to take the precision medicine approaches that have led to advances in cancer drugs and apply them to the research of new therapies for immunology and inflammation. It’s a similar strategy to the one taken by Prometheus under the helm of Mark McKenna, now the CEO of San Diego-based Mirador. There’s a plethora of immunology drugs on the ...
Neutropenia, a decrease in neutrophils (a type of white blood cell crucial for fighting infections), is a frequent side effect of certain cancer treatments. This condition elevates the risk of infections, including neutropenic sepsis—a potentially fatal reaction to infection and a severe complication of chemotherapy. Identifying the signs of neutropenic sepsis can be challenging, leading to a stressful and expensive treatment process. Consequently, all chemotherapy patients feeling ill are advised to seek emergency care to check for neutropenic sepsis. Unfortunately, half of these patients do not receive antibiotics quickly enough, while the other half, not at risk of neutropenic sepsis, unnecessarily visit the emergency department. 52North Health Ltd. (Cambridge UK) has developed NeutroCheck, a groundbreaking approach aimed at enhancing the safety and well-being of cancer patients. This innovation combines a finger-prick blood test with an AI-powered digital platform, allowing patients to evaluate their neutropenic sepsis risk at home. This affordable, ...
Contineum Therapeutics, which emerged from a Verant Ventures startup creation engine, has filed paperwork for an IPO. The biotech’s clinical-stage pipeline spans multiple sclerosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and depression. By FRANK VINLUAN Jhnson & Johnson is a partner on Contineum Therapeutics’ most advanced program, which is currently in mid-stage clinical testing for multiple sclerosis. As that research continues and Contineum plans to advance the development of its wholly owned assets, the biotech is moving forward with plans for an IPO. Contineum, which traces its origins to a startup creation engine of venture capital firm Versant Ventures, filed its IPO paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission late Friday. The company has not yet set any financial terms for its planned stock market debut, but IPO research firm Renaissance Capital said the offering could reach up to $150 million. The San Diego-based biotech has applied for a Nasdaq listing under the ...
BeiGene’s PD-1 inhibitor Tevimbra (tislelizumab-jsgr) has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat advanced oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The authorisation specifically applies to adult patients with unresectable or metastatic ESCC after prior systemic chemotherapy that did not include a PD-(L)1 inhibitor. Oesophageal cancer is the sixth most common cause of cancer-related deaths globally and ESCC accounts for almost 90% of cases. More than two-thirds of patients with oesophageal cancer have advanced or metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis, with an expected five-year survival rate of less than 6% for those with distant metastases. BeiGene’s Tevimbra, which is already approved in the EU for advanced or metastatic ESCC after prior chemotherapy, is designed to aid the body’s immune cells to detect and fight tumours. The FDA’s decision on the therapy was based on positive results from the late-stage RATIONALE 302 trial, which compared its ...
The FDA has approved Madrigal Pharmaceuticals drug Rezdiffra as a treatment for the fatty liver disease NASH (also called MASH). It’s the first treatment for the chronic condition, which has been growing in prevalence. By FRANK VINLUAN A chronic metabolic disease in which fat buildup leads to worsening liver function that can ultimately require an organ transplant now has its first FDA-approved therapy, a once-daily pill developed by Madrigal Pharmaceuticals. The FDA decision Thursday is for adults with noncirrhotic non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH. The approval specifically covers those who have reached the point of moderate-to-advanced liver scarring, which is also called fibrosis. The Conshohocken, Pennsylvania-based company’s drug, known in development as resmetirom, will be marketed under the brand name Rezdiffra. “We’ve had patients waiting and waiting for something that could impact underlying fibrosis in the setting of NASH, and this truly represents a milestone achievement that frankly I, and many ...
Davy James BeiGene’s Brukinsa is a small molecule Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor indicated as a monotherapy and in combination with other treatments for various B-cell malignancies. The FDA has granted accelerated approval to BeiGene’s Brukinsa (zanubrutinib) in combination with Roche’s Gazyva (obinutuzumab) for patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) following two or more lines of systemic therapy.1 Brukinsa is a small molecule Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor indicated as a monotherapy and in combination with other treatments for various B-cell malignancies, such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma; Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia; patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) previously treated with at least one prior therapy; and patients with relapsed or refractory marginal zone lymphoma previously treated with at least one anti-CD20-based regimen.1 Gazyva is a CD20-directed cytolytic antibody indicated in combination with chlorambucil for the treatment of patients with previously untreated CLL; in combination with chemotherapy ...
BeiGene’s Brukinsa (zanubrutinib) has been granted accelerated approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma. The BTK inhibitor has specifically been authorised for use alongside Roche’s anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody Gazyva (obinutuzumab) in adult patients who have received at least two prior lines of systemic therapy. The FDA’s decision was supported by positive results from the mid-stage ROSEWOOD study, which demonstrated an overall response rate of 69% for the Brukinsa combination arm compared to 46% for Gazyva alone. An 18-month duration of response of 69% for the Brukinsa combination was also observed, BeiGene said, adding that safety results were consistent with previous studies of both medicines. Mehrdad Mobasher, chief medical officer, haematology at BeiGene, said: “This accelerated approval of Brukinsa represents an important advancement, offering the first and only BTK inhibitor treatment for follicular lymphoma patients in the US who have either not ...
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