Elpiscience Biopharma Ltd. is out-licensing to Astellas Pharma Inc. two preclinical bispecific macrophage engagers – ES-019, an anti-PD-L1/SIRPα bispecific antibody, and another unnamed program – in a deal worth up to $1.7 billion. The deal marks the Shanghai-based company’s first out-licensing deal, Elpiscience CEO Darren Ji told BioWorld, noting that Astellas will have global rights to both molecules with a potential to in-license two more.
Elpiscience Biopharma Ltd. and Astellas Pharma Inc. have announced a research collaboration and license agreement for two novel bispecific macrophage engagers – ES-019 and another program.
Reneo Pharmaceuticals Inc. is halting development of its only asset, mavodelpar, after a phase IIb study missed its primary and secondary efficacy endpoints. The selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-delta agonist was being developed to treat to rare genetic mitochondrial diseases.
Phenomic AI Inc. has announced new collaboration agreements to help advance drug discovery for stroma-rich tumors using its Sctx single-cell transcriptomics platform.
Kalivir Immunotherapeutics Inc. has announced FDA clearance of an IND application for a phase I study of ASP-1012 (formerly VET2-L2) in participants with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors. The trial is expected to begin in the first quarter of next year.
Researchers from Astellas Pharma Inc. presented preclinical data for the novel small-molecule diacylglycerol kinase ζ (DGKζ) inhibitor ASP-1570, currently in phase I development for the treatment of solid tumors (NCT05083481).
Japan’s economy has remained stagnant for the last few decades, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has heralded the biotech industry as a strategic industry to attract global partners, which was also one of the expectations for the BioJapan 2023 conference held Oct. 10-12 in Yokohama, drawing attendees from more than 37 countries and was the first live biotech industry event that welcomed foreigners since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Japan’s economy has remained stagnant for the last few decades, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has heralded the biotech industry as a strategic industry to attract global partners, which was also one of the expectations for the BioJapan 2023 conference held Oct. 10-12 in Yokohama, drawing attendees from more than 37 countries and was the first live biotech industry event that welcomed foreigners since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Astellas Pharma Inc. has divulged proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) compounds acting as GTPase KRAS (G12D mutant) degradation inducers reported to be useful for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Upbeat phase III findings outweighed less encouraging late-stage trial news, as big pharma provided a mixed bag of cancer findings – with one data batch to form the basis of global approval bids, as Astrazeneca plc with Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. unveiled interim results from a study called Tropion-Breast01. Targeting trophoblast cell surface antigen 2, datopotamab deruxtecan (dato) hit the mark in progression-free survival for patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-low or negative breast cancer in the study called Tropion-Breast01.
