EUR 20m to identify new targets and develop first in class drugs DISCO Pharmaceuticals – a company specialising in unlocking the surfaceome of cancer cells at scale – has raided EUR 20m to identify new targets and develop first in class drugs. The funding round was backed by a formidable investor syndicate, including Sofinnova Partners, Panakes Partners, M Ventures and AbbVie Ventures. The development of new treatment modalities in oncology is increasing, however, the lack of cell surface targets limits the application to some clinically effective targets. Also, the development of new biologics, such as bi-specific antibodies and antibody drug conjugates, is increasing and there are currently less than 30 molecular targets, which form the basis of all antibody-based therapies. Consequently, there is a significant need to identify novel cancer-selective targets and target pairs. DISCO’s surfaceome mapping platform transforms the current approach of target discovery for large molecule R&D. This ...
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 ...
Eisai has signed an agreement for the divestiture of rights for Merislon and Myonal, two of its long-standing products in Japan, to Kaken Pharmaceutical. The transaction is valued at Y3.8bn ($25.10m). Merislon treats vertigo and equilibrium disturbances and Myonal is a muscle relaxant, which patients have used since their respective launches in 1969 and 1983. The agreement stipulates that Eisai will complete the transfer of marketing capabilities by March 2025, followed by manufacturing and marketing approval transfer. The deal will not impact Eisai’s consolidated financial forecast for 31 March 2024. The company stated: “Eisai has determined that divesting rights for these products to Kaken, which has strengths in the products’ disease areas, is the optimal choice to ensure they continue contributing to a greater number of patients.” Eisai will continue to focus on creating and delivering products to target diseases with higher unmet medical needs such as neurology, oncology and ...
Don Tracy, Associate Editor Approval would mark first HER2-targeted therapy for biliary tract cancer in the United States. Jazz Pharmaceuticals announced that it has completed its Biologics License Application (BLA) for zanidatamab, an investigational bispecific antibody treatment targeting HER2-positive metastatic(BTC). Aiming for accelerated approval, zanidatamab has the potential to be the first HER2-targeted therapy indicated for BTC in the United States. According to the company, the BLA was based on findings from the Phase IIb HERIZON-BTC-01 trial for zanidatamab. The primary study endpoint of confirmed objective response rate (cORR) by independent central review (ICR) was deemed a success, as the 80 enrolled patients demonstrated a cORR of 41.3%. The HERIZON-BTC-302 Phase III started recently and is currently in the process of enrollment.1 “This important milestone brings us one step closer to delivering zanidatamab, a targeted treatment option, to patients living with HER2-positive BTC, a type of cancer that is associated ...
Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Voydeya (danicopan) as an add-on therapy to treat extravascular haemolysis (EVH) in adults with paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH). A first-in-class, oral Factor D inhibitor, Voydeya has been developed for patients who continue to suffer from EVH despite treatment with C5 inhibitors such as Ultomiris (ravulizumab) or Soliris (eculizumab). The FDA’s decision is grounded in the positive outcomes of the ALPHA Phase III trial, which demonstrated that Voydeya met its primary endpoint of haemoglobin change from baseline to week 12, alongside all key secondary endpoints. The drug was generally well-tolerated with no new safety concerns. As part of the ALPHA double-blind, placebo-controlled, multiple-dose trial, patients were enrolled and randomised to receive Voydeya or placebo apart from their ongoing Soliris or Ultomiris therapy over 12 weeks. It aimed to assess the superiority of Voydeya as an ...
Ipsen has joined the slew of companies developing antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) with the announcement of a new global licensing agreement with Sutro Biopharma for the development of the latter’s STRO-003. Ipsen declared that the deal would give it exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialise the ROR1-targeting ADC STRO-003. Ipsen is accountable for Phase I preparations, including investigational new drug application (IND) submissions. The Paris, France-headquartered company will also be responsible for the later clinical development and global commercialisation of STRO-003. Under the partnership, Sutro Biopharma could receive up to $900m in prospective upfront, development, and commercial milestone-based payments. This is inclusive of $90m in near-term payments in the form of tiered royalties on global sales, and an equity investment, dependent on Ipsen’s successful development and commercialisation strategy. STRO-003 is one of three named ADCs being developed in Sutro’s clinical pipeline. In June 2023, Sutro announced plans to submit INDs ...
Don Tracy, Associate Editor Deal aims to commercialize XTX301 for treating advanced solid tumors by leveraging Xilio’s tumor-activated immuno-oncology therapies. Gilead Sciences and Xilio Therapeutics announced that they have agreed to terms on a licensing agreement regarding XTX301, Xilio’s Phase I tumor-activated IL-12. According to Gilead, the partnership aims to expand the company’s focus in immuno-oncology, leveraging Xilio’s novel tumor-activation platform to improve its therapeutic nature and build a consistent pipeline of tumor-activated molecules. As per the deal, Xilio will receive an upfront payment of $43.5 million, with $30 million in cash and an equity investment of $13.5 million provided by Gilead in common stock. Overall, Xilio will have the opportunity to earn up to $604 million based on specified development, regulatory, and sales-based milestones.1 “Xilio’s novel tumor-activation platform naturally complements Gilead’s clinical development program in difficult-to-treat cancers and expands our focus in immuno-oncology,” said Bill Grossman, MD, PhD, SVP, ...
SHANGHAI and NANJING, China and SAN JOSE, Calif., March 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — IASO Bio, a biopharmaceutical company engaged in discovering, developing, manufacturing and marketing innovative cell therapies and antibody products, today announced that China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has approved the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for Equecabtagene Autoleucel (IASO Bio R&D code: CT103A), a self-developed fully-human anti-B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) autologous T-cell injection, for an expanded indication in treating relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma (R/RMM) patients who have undergone 1-2 lines of prior therapies and are refractory to lenalidomide. The New Drug Application (NDA) for FUCASO ® (Equecabtagene Autoleucel) was approved by NMPA for the treatment of relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma (R/R MM) who received ≥3 lines of prior therapies containing at least one proteasome inhibitor and an immunomodulatory agent on June 30, 2023. The NDA approval was based on the ...
Today (March 29), according to the official website of CDE, Guangdong Hengrui Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Hengrui Pharmaceutical”) class 1 new drug SHR-1139 injection indicated for psoriasis application obtained approval. Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that is stimulated by environmental factors, genetic control, and immune media. According to relevant data, there are more than 7 million psoriasis patients in China. Fhstrilin predicts that China’s psoriasis market will increase to US $ 9.5 billion in 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 27.1%. Globally, the number of patients with psoriasis is on the rise. At present, biopharmaceuticals have gradually become one of the mainstream therapies of psoriasis in China. Related drugs are mainly focused on targets such as TNF-α and IL families. Hengrui Pharmaceutical also deployed psoriasis therapy drugs, of which Fu Niqizumab (SHR-1314) targets IL-17A targets. Following the CDE acceptance of the listing of ...
Dive Brief Roche has received Food and Drug Administration approval for the first molecular test to screen U.S. blood donors for malaria, the company said Tuesday. In 2022, the FDA recommended preventing people from giving blood for a time after they return from an area with malaria because there was no licensed test to screen donors. Other countries including Australia, England and France use antibody testing to avoid excluding potential donors. Roche’s Cobas malaria molecular test screens whole blood samples for the five main species of parasites that cause infections. The company is pitching the test as a way to improve the safety and availability of blood. Dive Insight Around 2,000 people are diagnosed with the mosquito-borne disease in the U.S. each year, typically after traveling to a country where malaria transmission occurs. The potential for donors to unknowingly pass the parasite on to recipients of their donations led the ...
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