Among significant research news last week, UK drug developer PureTech released positive new Phase IIb data on its deupirfenidone in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. France’s Sanofi and Israel-based Teva Pharmaceutical Industries announced encouraging new Phase IIb data for their duvakitug in inflammatory bowel disease. Meanwhile, Vertex Pharmaceuticals released Phase II results for its investigational sciatica treatment suzetrigine that failed to impress. Also of note, AbbVie announced strong Phase III results of tavapadon in early Parkinson’s disease. 22 December 2024
San Francisco-based Indapta Therapeutics, a privately held start-up developing next-generation cell therapies, has raised $22.5 million in a new financing round. The firm raised over $50 million in series A funding in 2022. 18 December 2024
US pharma giant Merck & Co has announced the discontinuation of the clinical development programs for vibostolimab, an anti-TIGIT antibody, and favezelimab, an anti-LAG-3 antibody. 18 December 2024
Eylea HD (aflibercept) developers Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Bayer have announced positive Phase III results, from the QUASAR study. 18 December 2024
French CNS specialist Theranexus saw its shares leap more than 34% to 0.65 euros as it revealed a license and supply agreement with Exeltis to commercialize TX01, its novel formulation of a compound already approved in the indication for the treatment of rare neurological diseases. 18 December 2024
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to Trodelvy (sacituzumab govitecan-hziy) for the treatment of adult patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) whose disease has progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy, said Gilead Sciences. 17 December 2024
Venture capital firm BC Partners has entered into an agreement under which the private equity business at Goldman Sachs Alternatives will acquire a majority stake in Netherlands-based Synthon, from funds advised by BC Partners. 17 December 2024
The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has licensed an indication extension to Blincyto (blinatumomab) to treat adults with Philadelphia chromosome negative CD19-positive B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL) in the consolidation phase. 17 December 2024
Belgian drugmaker UCB today announced the ORCHESTRA proof-of-concept study of minzasolmin - an investigational, oral small molecule, alpha-synuclein misfolding inhibitor - developed in partnership with Novartis for early Parkinson’s disease, did not meet its primary and secondary clinical endpoints. 17 December 2024
The Federal Commission for the Protection Against Sanitary Risk (COFEPRIS) in Mexico has approved humanized anti-soluble aggregated amyloid-beta (Aβ) monoclonal antibody Leqembi (lecanemab) for the treatment of early Alzheimer’s disease (AD). 5 December 2024
Venture capital firm BC Partners has entered into an agreement under which the private equity business at Goldman Sachs Alternatives will acquire a majority stake in Netherlands-based Synthon, from funds advised by BC Partners. 17 December 2024