Hot on the heels of a groundbreaking deal brokered by the U.K.’s NICE to finance an antibiotic with a subscription-style payment plan, three European life sciences companies have formed a joint venture to create next-generation antimicrobials and diagnostics to fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Evotec SE and diagnostics firm Biomérieux SA have launched the joint venture known as Aurobac Therapeutics SAS, which aims to develop precision antibiotics to fight against AMR, identified as a significant public health threat long before COVID-19 began making the rounds. 

Skyhawk notches another deal, this time with Sanofi

Skyhawk Therapeutics Inc. has cut a deal with Sanofi SA to discover and develop small molecules to treat targets in oncology and immunology. Sanofi is paying Skyhawk $54 million up front for the exclusive licenses to global intellectual property rights for any candidates directed at the targets. Skyhawk could receive more than $2 billion in milestone payments plus royalties on sales. The company develops small molecules that modulate RNA splice sites. Boston-based Skyhawk also has partnerships with seven pharmas, including Merck & Co. Inc., Bristol Myers Squibb Co., Biogen Inc. and Genentech Inc. The Sanofi deal follows Skyhawk’s September 2021 $133 million oversubscribed investment round that brought the company’s total equity funding and partnership capital to more than $600 million.

Applied Molecular shares dip on phase II data from UC combo trial

Shares of Applied Molecular Transport Inc. (AMT, NASDAQ:AMTI) were trading at $2.40, down 72 cents, or 23%, after the company disclosed top-line phase II data from the combo study called Market with AMT-101 in biologic-naïve patients with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis (UC). AMT-101, a once-daily oral fusion of IL-10 with AMT’s carrier molecule, was given at the 3-mg dose along with the subcutaneously injected, anti-TNF-alpha drug Humira (adalimumab, Abbvie Inc.). The clinical remission rate in the Humira-alone arm was higher than historical anti-TNF-alpha monotherapy benchmarks in UC, AMT said, and the data from Market did not show added clinical benefit in the combination arm compared to the Humira-alone arm at the eighth week.

Nordic Nanovector drops phase IIb trial of beleaguered radiopharmaceutical 

So near and yet so far for Nordic Nanovector ASA, which has ditched the phase IIb trial of its lead product, Betalutin, just short of completing recruitment, after an independent review cast doubts on the level of efficacy previously reported for the targeted radiopharmaceutical. The review of the study, treating follicular lymphoma patients who had relapsed following two earlier lines of treatments, found that only one in three patients had responded, with an average duration of effect of six months.

UK’s Oxford launched pandemic institute to prepare for future threats

Oxford University has opened the doors to its new Pandemic Sciences Institute, a £100 million (US$119.5 million) initiative to build on the research and experience of COVID-19, to counter future pandemic threats. Working in partnership with industry and public health bodies worldwide, the institute aims to preemptively lay the groundwork for the development of vaccines, therapies and diagnostics against new and emerging infectious diseases.

Newco news: Radiopharma Clarity touts advantages of its targeted copper theranostics 

Clarity Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is progressing three of its targeted copper theranostics through the clinic that are based on its sarcophagine (SAR) technology that securely holds copper isotopes inside a cage-like structure, called a chelator. The SAR technology allows a unique pairing of copper isotopes, copper-64 (Cu-64) and copper-67 (Cu-67), for both cancer diagnosis and therapy. Unlike other commercially available chelators, the SAR technology prevents copper leakage into the body, Clarity Pharmaceuticals Executive Chairman Alan Taylor told BioWorld.

Helixon nets $75M for AI drug development platform

Helixon Ltd. raised ¥500 million (US$75 million) in a series A round for its artificial intelligence (AI) drug development platform. The Beijing-based company is building a next-generation AI computing platform by combining it with self-developed high-throughput experimental technologies, aiming to provide drug developers with an intelligent system for molecular computation, simulation and design. With the new funds, Helixon will continue to develop its technology and expand its team and business development. It will also improve its high-throughput experimental technologies and expand its pipeline by independent research and development and collaboration.

USPTO takes aim at drug patent thickets

While the U.S. Congress struggles to patch together legal restraints on prescription drug prices, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), with the FDA’s help, is taking steps to break down the patent thickets some drug companies are using to ward off the competition that would bring those prices down. “While the issuance of robust and reliable patents to incentivize pharmaceutical innovations is critical, our patent system must not be used to unjustifiably delay generic drugs and biosimilar competition beyond that reasonably contemplated by law,” USPTO Director Kathi Vidal and FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said today in a joint blog.

Supreme Court passes on another opportunity to clean up Section 101 mess

Patent subject matter eligibility under Section 101 of the Patent Act has proved controversial for patents in the U.S. thanks in no small part to Supreme Court jurisprudence in cases such as Alice v. CLS Bank and Mayo v. Prometheus. In the latest development, the court has declined to hear the American Axle case, leaving many observers despairing of any chance of restoring a decent patent system for personalized medicine, companion diagnostics and even the use of artificial intelligence in drug development.

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