Immuno-oncology company Imugene Ltd. reported median overall survival for patients receiving HER-Vaxx plus chemotherapy was 13.9 months compared to 8.3 months in patients treated with chemotherapy alone in its phase II study in HER2/neu overexpressing advanced gastric cancer.
Immuno-oncology company Imugene Ltd. reported median overall survival for patients receiving HER-Vaxx plus chemotherapy was 13.9 months compared to 8.3 months in patients treated with chemotherapy alone in its phase II study in HER2/neu overexpressing advanced gastric cancer.
In August 2020, it looked like DBV Technologies SA was in considerable trouble after the U.S. FDA served it with a rejection for its Viaskin Peanut allergy patch, raising concerns efficacy could be compromised because the product wasn’t sticking to the skin well. But could the Montrouge, France-based firm be making a comeback with the epicutaneous technology?
Newly appointed President and CEO Jackie Shea looks to have her work cut out for her, as Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. decided to ditch its phase II/III COVID-19 vaccination trial in favor of pursuing a booster strategy with INO-4800. That update, disclosed during Inovio’s first-quarter earnings late May 10 alongside a likely delay in filing for approval of HPV immunotherapy candidate VGX-3100, sent the stock (NASDAQ:INO) falling 27% May 11. Over the past year, shares have fallen more than 70%.
Dragonfly Therapeutics Inc. added Gilead Sciences Inc. to its roster of partnerships in a deal that gives the Waltham, Mass.-based company $300 million up front, with opt-in payments, milestones and up to 20% royalties down the road. In exchange Foster City, Calif.-based Gilead gets exclusive, worldwide rights to DF-7001, a preclinical-stage immunotherapy, as well as rights to additional NK cell engager programs generated by Dragonfly’s TriNKET (Trispecific NK Engager) platform.
After raising $17 million in seed funding, immunotherapy-focused biotech company, LTZ Therapeutics Inc., is announcing plans for the fledgling company whose acronym stands for “Lift to Zenith.” CEO and co-founder Robert Li told BioWorld that the company’s three-tiered immunotherapy platform will focus on reducing immunosuppression, reprogramming innate immunity and modulating adaptive immunity.
Nanobiotix SA has just presented new data from an open-label preclinical study evaluating the action of its nanoparticle-enhanced radiotherapy, NBTXR3, with the triple blockade of PD-1, LAG-3, and TIGIT on mice carrying cancerous cells. PD-1, LAG-3 and TIGIT are three checkpoint inhibitors which regulate the natural killer cells usually targeted in combination therapy in immuno-oncology.
Epitopea Ltd. raised $13.6 million in seed financing to take forward a new cancer immunotherapy platform based on the identification of a new class of tumor-specific antigens encoded by non-canonical genomic sequences.
Bristol Myers Squibb Co.’s relatlimab will hit the market as the first U.S. FDA-approved LAG-3 inhibitor, cleared by the agency for use in a fixed-dose combination with Opdivo (nivolumab) to treat adult and pediatric patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma. The approval, a day ahead of the March 19 FDA target date, adds another type of immune checkpoint inhibitor to the oncology arsenal, which already includes drugs targeting PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA4.
Adagene Inc. has announced a research collaboration with Sanofi SA, to find “masked” monoclonal and bispecific antibodies that are safer than marketed drugs in oncology, in a deal worth up to $2.5 billion plus royalties. San Diego and Suzhou, China-based Adagene will generate masked versions of Sanofi antibodies, taking responsibility for early stage research activities using its Safebody technology.