10 October 2024 Machine learning-enabled drug discovery and development company insitro has announced the execution of three strategic agreements with Eli Lilly.
The US Food and Drug Administration has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation for JNJ-68284528 (JNJ-4528), an investigational B cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy in previously-treated patients with multiple myeloma. 9 December 2019
US biotech Cassava Sciences, previously known as Pain Therapeutics, was up 41% premarket on Friday on increased volume in reaction to new data from a Phase IIa clinical trial evaluating lead drug, PTI-125, in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD). 9 December 2019
Texas, USA-based XBiotech revealed on Saturday that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Janssen Biotech, part of US healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson, to sell its novel antibody, bermekimab, that neutralizes interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1⍺). IL-1⍺ promotes disease-causing inflammation in a wide range of medical conditions. 7 December 2019
Sales of the multiple myeloma drug Darzalex (daratumumab) have hit $2.5 billion in a calendar year, which is good news not just for Janssen, the exclusive global license holder. 5 December 2019
US immune-oncology drug developer RAPT Therapeutics and South Korea’s Hanmi Pharmaceutical have entered into a license and collaboration agreement for FLX475 in Asia, worth up to $118 million 5 December 2019
The Australian biotech industry has voiced consternation at the government’s decision to move forward with a plan to cut R&D incentives in the country. 5 December 2019
Idoesia has granted Japan’s Mochida Pharmaceutical an exclusive license for the supply, co-development and co-marketing of daridorexant, Idorsia’s dual orexin receptor antagonist (DORA), for insomnia and related disorders in Japan. 5 December 2019
Privately-held US biotech Tetra Therapeutics has presented data showing that TNF-blocking agents reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis. 5 December 2019
US biotech firm Axsome Therapeutics yesterday announced that its AXS-12 (reboxetine) met the prespecified primary endpoint and significantly reduced the number of cataplexy attacks as compared to placebo in patients with narcolepsy in the CONCERT Phase II trial. 4 December 2019
USA-based Puma Biotechnology and privately-held French drugmaker Pierre Fabre have agreed to extend the terms of the license agreement in which Puma granted Pierre Fabre exclusive rights to develop and commercialize Nerlynx (neratinib) within Europe and part of Africa. 4 December 2019
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Tecentriq (atezolizumab) in combination with chemotherapy (Abraxane [paclitaxel protein-bound; nab-paclitaxel] and carboplatin) for the initial (first-line) treatment of adults with metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with no EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations. 4 December 2019
French biotech ImCheck Therapeutics has raised $53 million in a Series B financing to advance its clinical pipeline of gamma delta T-cell-focused antibodies for cancer and autoimmune diseases. 4 December 2019
Australian plasma and cell and gene therapy specialist CSL Limited is steadily advancing its R&D pipeline and capabilities to deliver a highly differentiated product portfolio mix, addressing a broader range of patients’ unmet needs,” said head of Research & Development Dr William Mezzanotte today. 4 December 2019
French drugmaker Sanofi is presenting clinical data from its insulin portfolio at the 2019 congress of the International Diabetes Federation, in Busan, South Korea. 4 December 2019
Privately-held UK biotech Mission Therapeutic and US major AbbVie today announced the identification of several deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs) as potential drug targets in their Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s R&D collaboration. 3 December 2019
India's Biocon, Asia's premier biotechnology company, has named Siddharth Mittal as its new chief executive and joint managing director. 3 December 2019
Astellas Pharma on Monday evening announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire US biotech Audentes Therapeutics at a price of $60.00 per share in cash. 3 December 2019
Texan biopharma Lexicon Pharmaceuticals lost more than 10% of its marke
t value on Monday as the company suffered a new setback in the development of Zynquista (sotagliflozin). 3 December 2019
French healthcare non-profit Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has called on Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to stop payments to pharma majors Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline for their pneumococcal vaccine. 3 December 2019
Japan’s Astellas Pharma and USA-based Seattle Genetics have entered into a clinical collaboration agreement with pharma giant Merck & Co to evaluate the combination of their antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) enfortumab vedotin and Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, Keytruda (pembrolizumab), in patients with previously untreated metastatic urothelial (mostly bladder) cancer. 2 December 2019
Danish dermatology specialist Leo Pharma has revealed plans to cut 200 jobs, marking the company’s fourth workforce reduction since 2022. 11 October 2024
Booster Therapeutics, a biotechnology company pioneering a new class of proteasome activator medicines to treat neurodegenerative and other diseases, has launched with the support of a $15 million financing. 11 October 2024
German cancer specialist Immatics has announced the pricing of its $150 million public offering, with Jefferies, BofA Securities, and Leerink acting as joint book runners. 11 October 2024
The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved Pfizer and BioNTech's latest COVID-19 vaccine, Comirnaty (KP.2). 11 October 2024
In what Astella Pharma calls “a landmark decision for advanced bladder cancer patients,” the Japanese drugmaker gained approval in the UK for its treatment regimen. 10 October 2024
Nanoscope Therapeutics says that, following a productive FDA meeting with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its clinical program evaluating MCO-010 for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa (RP), the company will commence with submission of a Biologics License Application (BLA) in the first quarter of 2025. 10 October 2024
US healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson’s Tecvayli (teclistamab) has been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as a first-line option to treat myeloma in England and Wales. 10 October 2024
China’s Quantum Pharmaceuticals has announced a significant licensing agreement between its biologics-focused subsidiary, Ailux Biologics, and Johnson & Johnson. 10 October 2024
USA-based Kezar Life Sciences announced this week that it was pausing its Phase IIb PALIZADE trial evaluating zetomipzomib in lupus nephritis (LN) following the deaths of four patients. 10 October 2024
Advances in gene editing, such as the FDA approval of Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ Casgevy (exagamglogene autotemcel) in December 2023 for the treatment of beta thalassemia and sickle cell disease, have fueled significant interest in innovative epigenetic drugs. 10 October 2024
Gene therapy start-up GEMMA Biotherapeutics (GEMMABio) has announced a significant partnership with Brazil's Fiocruz, a key supplier for the Brazilian Ministry of Health. 10 October 2024
California’s Arda Therapeutics, a biotech focused on targeted cell depletion therapies for chronic diseases, has announced the successful completion of a $43 million Series A financing round. 9 October 2024
Purespring Therapeutics, a gene therapy company focused on transforming the treatment of kidney diseases, has raised £80 million ($105 million) in a Series B financing. 9 October 2024
German family-owned pharma major Boehringer Ingelheim and USA-based Circle Pharma (have entered into a research collaboration and license agreement with the shared goal to develop a first-in-class cyclin inhibitor that can halt the growth of cancer cells potentially offering hope to those living with hard-to-treat cancers. 9 October 2024