Taking an unconventional path to market for its targeted therapies for RAS-addicted cancers, Revolution Medicines Inc. secured access to $2 billion in capital to build its own global commercial infrastructure, instead of partnering outside the U.S. as it had originally intended. “We’ve concluded that the best way for us to achieve our goals with our rich pipeline is to direct our own global development and commercial strategies and to operationalize these both inside and outside the U.S. through our own organization,” Mark Goldsmith, president and CEO of Revolution Medicines (Revmed), told investors June 24. The money is coming in the form of up to $1.25 billion in exchange for a synthetic royalty and up to $750 million in corporate debt, both through a partnership with Royalty Pharma. The 15-year royalty is tied to sales of daraxonrasib, Revmed’s RAS(ON) multi-selective inhibitor, which received breakthrough therapy designation from the U.S. FDA this week for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in patients with KRAS G12 mutations.

Nektar scores in phase IIb with atopic dermatitis therapy

Shares of Nektar Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:NKTR) were trading at $19.18, up $9.64, or 101%, on word of statistically significant data from the 16-week induction period of the ongoing phase IIb Rezolve-AD study with rezpegaldesleukin (rezpeg), an IL-pathway agonist and regulatory T-cell proliferator for moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD). Rezpeg hit the primary endpoint at week 16, providing AD patients with a mean improvement in their Eczema Area and Severity Scores, and nailed the secondary endpoints as well.

Polyactiva raises $25M series C to advance US clinical programs

Ophthalmology company Polyactiva Pty Ltd. closed a AU$40 million (US$25 million) series C round to advance late-stage clinical trials in the U.S. of its lead candidate, PA-5108, a biodegradable, sustained-release ocular implant that delivers latanoprost for reducing intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with ocular hypertension and glaucoma. The series C round was led by an Australian sovereign wealth fund with continued support from Brandon Capital. 

Kennedy living up to worst expectations, US lawmaker says

“I expressed deep concerns with your nomination, Secretary Kennedy, and somehow, unfortunately, you have exceeded my expectations in the worst possible ways,” U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., told Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy during today’s House subcommittee hearing. Although the Health Subcommittee was ostensibly meeting to discuss the HHS budget, it was more of a partisan mashup of a budget hearing and a grilling of Kennedy for his lack of transparency and controversial decisions including the gutting of the CDC’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices just two weeks before its scheduled meeting. Kennedy didn’t sit quietly. Instead, he repeatedly interrupted to question lawmakers’ facts and suggested that Pallone stopped championing people who were hurt by vaccines when he started taking money from biopharma companies – a statement he was immediately forced to retract.

CAR T cells take on neurological disorders, though sometimes still one patient at a time

To date, CAR T cells have made a large difference to a relatively small number of patients. But interlocking progress in targets and production are enabling researchers and clinicians to bring them to more patient groups – and sometimes, individual patients. The second major disease focus of CAR T cells is shaping up to be autoimmunity. B cells, where targeting is still far more mature than for any other cell type, play major roles in autoimmunity. At the 11th Congress European Academy of Neurology, which was held in Helsinki June 21 to June 24, researchers presented new data on using CAR T cells in autoimmune neurological conditions.

Moderna expands mRNA tech to latent viruses, cancer, rare disease

Post pandemic, Moderna Inc. is broadening the applications of mRNA technology to cancer, rare diseases, latent viruses and respiratory viruses, “taking advantage” of the revenue generated by Spikevax (elasomeran), its mRNA-based vaccine for COVID-19. “Moderna started out as a company focused on delivering a diverse portfolio of products,” Robert Paris, vice president at Moderna, told audience members of the Global Vaccine Forum 2025 in Seoul, South Korea June 19. But the mRNA platform is capable of “generating missing proteins” and built to address a wide range of conditions.

HHS, payers vow to fix prior authorization problem

Prior authorization (PA) is something of a four-letter word for physicians and patients across the U.S., but the controversy might soon ebb somewhat thanks to recent action by payers and the Department of Health and Human Services. HHS and a private payer trade group have promised to streamline PA processes in a bid to rationalize the process, although there is at this point no consideration of an enforcement lever to ensure that the practice is properly managed going forward.

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