After shelving it for the past decade, the EU Parliament this week adopted a directive forcing large publicly listed companies to break the glass ceilings that have allowed a men-only mentality to thrive in corporate boardrooms across much of Europe. The so-called Women on Boards Directive, formally adopted Nov. 22, will require EU-based public companies to have women in at least 40% of their nonexecutive director posts or 33% of all director posts by the end of June 2026. Companies with fewer than 250 employees will be exempt.
Bayer AG has described phosphorus derivatives acting as son of sevenless homolog 1 (SOS1)/GTPase KRAS (G12C mutant) interaction inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.
Researchers from Bayer AG presented the discovery of BAY-2927088, a new noncovalent tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting EGFR exon 20 insertions and C797S resistance mutations in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Tavros Therapeutics Inc. and Vividion Therapeutics Inc., a subsidiary of Bayer AG, have entered into a collaboration agreement to discover or target four oncology targets across an initial 5-year term.
Bayer AG has synthesized new furoindazole derivatives acting as G protein-coupled receptor 84 (GPR84) antagonists reported to be useful for the treatment of inflammation, metabolic disorders, autoimmune and lung diseases, among others.
Bayer AG has discovered P2X purinoceptor 3 (P2RX3) antagonists reported to be useful for the treatment of overactive bladder, chronic cough, endometriosis, cancer, heart failure, irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea, pain and sleep apnea, among others.
Factor XIa inhibitors milvexian and asundexian, hailed as the next-generation class of anticoagulants, earned mixed reviews on phase II data presented during the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2022. However, developers Bristol Myers Squibb Co./Janssen Pharmaceutical Co. and Bayer AG, respectively, are moving into late-stage testing, citing clear mechanisms of action that put the FXIa drugs at least on par with approved factor Xa drugs in terms of efficacy while offering potentially better safety profiles that could give physicians an option for patients with stroke or atrial fibrillation who are currently undertreated with anticoagulants due to bleeding risks.
Atara Biotherapeutics Inc. is keeping the faith and figuring out next steps with its next-generation, mesothelin-directed CAR T-cell therapies after Bayer AG ended their exclusive worldwide licensing agreement, signed in late 2020. The setup included funding and development of ATA-3271, an armored allogeneic T-cell immunotherapy, and an autologous version, ATA-2271, for high mesothelin-expressing tumors such as malignant pleural mesothelioma and non-small-cell lung cancer.
Woebot Labs Inc. secured a $9.5 million investment from Leaps by Bayer, the impact investment arm of Bayer AG, to speed development of its artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced behavioral health platform and digital therapeutics. The new infusion tops up Woebots fundraising, bringing its total to date to $123.5 million. The Woebot investment marks Leaps by Bayer’s first foray into mental health.
