Safety concerns prompted Kalvista Pharmaceuticals Inc. management to ax the phase II study testing KVD-824, an oral plasma kallikrein inhibitor for the prevention of hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks. Coming a month after competitor Pharvaris NV’s candidate, PHA-121, was placed on clinical hold by the U.S. FDA, it marks the latest setback for patients seeking convenient HAE prophylaxis options with improved efficacy over Biocryst Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s Orladeyo (berotralstat).

Promoting attachments nets 2022’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry

The 2022 Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded to Carolyn Bertozzi of Stanford University, to Morten Meldal of the University of Copenhagen, and – for the second time – to Barry Sharpless of The Scripps Research Institute “for the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry.”

CXCR4 antagonist pathway highlighted by favorable phase Ib news from X4 in neutropenia

X4 Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s recent stock-boosting phase Ib news with lead candidate mavorixafor fueled already-strong interest in finding an alternative therapy for neutropenia and deepened esteem for the drug’s long-known mechanism of action as a CXCR4 antagonist. Players large and small abound in CXCR4 antagonism, from heavyweights such as Eli Lilly and Co., Merck & Co. Inc., Roche Holding AG and Sanofi SA to names that include Biokine Therapeutics Ltd. with Biolinerx Ltd., Glycomimetics Inc., Harmonic Pharma SAS, and Upsher-Smith Laboratories Inc.

Two decades after seminal paper, Exscientia highlights untapped potential of AI drug discovery

It’s been 20 years since Andrew Hopkins, founder and CEO of artificial intelligence (AI) drug research firm Exscientia plc, co-authored the seminal paper, “The Druggable Genome,” which laid the foundations for the company and gave insights about how to make research more efficient and less costly. Now Hopkins’ colleagues at Exscientia plc, led by the company’s associate director of structural bioinformatics, Chris Radoux, have taken stock of progress in a new paper that summarizes advances in the field and evolution in thinking over the past two decades.

White House blueprint for AI bill of rights hints at need for new enforcement legislation

The Biden administration has released a blueprint for an artificial intelligence bill of rights, which is accompanied by an acknowledgement that these algorithms can be crucial in guiding treatment of cancer patients. While the bill has drawn criticism for lacking enforcement teeth, there is parallel legislation already in the works, such as the Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2022, which would give the Federal Trade Commission oversight and enforcement authority over these algorithms.

Biosimilars: Portrait of a maturing landscape

Although it’s a make-or-break market for many novel drugs, the U.S. is still testing the waters with biosimilars to some extent. That’s expected to change when at least seven biosimilars, including an interchangeable, referencing Abbvie Inc.’s Humira (adalimumab) are set to launch in the U.S. within the first seven months of next year. Next week, BioWorld will look at the significance of that looming competition and how the global biosimilars market is evolving amid a changing landscape of players, policies and pipelines.

Also in the news

Abeona, Acer, Amylyx, Aridis, Biohaven, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celltex, Connect, Cue, Exelixis, Galapagos, Global Blood Therapeutics, Greenlight, Heartbeat.Bio, Immutep, Kalvista, Kezar, Kira, Kubota Vision, Mereo, Mindset, Mirecule, Ocean, Oligomerix, Oncosec, Oncternal, Paradigm, Pfizer, Praetego, Sanofi, Saol, Sapience, Shionogi, Synairgen, Theratechnologies, Theseus, Trialspark, Valitor, Valneva, Vir, Voyager, Zealand