Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment reduced levels of estrogen and important heart-protective proteins, researchers reported in the Nov. 2, 2022, online edition of Science Translational Medicine. Hormone therapies could target this endocrine-cardiac-immune pathway and mitigate myocarditis risk without affecting treatment responses.
Normunity Inc. emerged from stealth by unveiling $65 million in series A funding and bold plans to tackle one of the critical issues in immuno-oncology. Normunity is based on the research of scientific founder Lieping Chen, of Yale School of Medicine, an early immuno-oncology pioneer who identified and characterized the gene encoding PD-L1 (then called B7-H1) and shortly afterward reporting additional findings that contributed to its recognition as an important target in cancer immunotherapy.
Akeso Inc. has received approval from China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for a phase Ib/II trial of ivonescimab (AK-112) combined with drebuxelimab (AK-119) for the treatment of advanced solid tumors.
For privately held Good Therapeutics Inc., founded in 2016 with a platform technology for developing context-dependent therapeutics, the plan had always been to seek a buyer for the first asset to emerge. One came along a little earlier than expected, as Roche Holding AG entered a merger agreement for Good, picking up preclinical-stage PD-1-regulated IL-2 program, in exchange for an up-front cash payment of $250 million.
Beigene Ltd.’s tislelizumab met its primary endpoint of noninferior overall survival vs. sorafenib as a first-line treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), marking the eighth positive phase III trial readout for the anti-PD-1 drug across multiple cancer types and lines of therapy.
Beigene Ltd.’s tislelizumab met its primary endpoint of noninferior overall survival vs. sorafenib as a first-line treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), marking the eighth positive phase III trial readout for the anti-PD-1 drug across multiple cancer types and lines of therapy.
Akeso Inc. has been given the green light by China’s NMPA for its PD-1/CTLA-4 antibody Kaitanni (cadonilimab), which was approved for the treatment of patients with relapsed or metastatic cervical cancer whose disease has progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy.
China’s Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. is launching a new biotech company called Luzsana Biotechnology that will develop and commercialize Hengrui assets in the U.S., Europe and Japan. A wholly owned subsidiary of Hengrui, Luzsana, which means “healing light,” will develop innovative products from Hengrui’s pipeline.
China’s Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. is launching a new biotech company called Luzsana Biotechnology that will develop and commercialize Hengrui assets in the U.S., Europe and Japan. A wholly owned subsidiary of Hengrui, Luzsana, which means “healing light,” will develop innovative products from Hengrui’s pipeline.
Bristol Myers Squibb Co. has completed a $20 million equity investment in Compugen Ltd., part of an ongoing expansion a collaboration between the companies to combine their medicines for the potential benefit of patients with solid tumors.
