Autolus Therapeutics Inc. has picked up plenty of financial momentum, about $600 million worth, in its runup to a November 2024 PDUFA date for its CD19 CAR T therapy. Helping propel that momentum is Biontech SE, another CAR T therapy developer. For $50 million cash, Biontech bought the rights to use Autolus’ manufacturing and commercial infrastructure in the U.K. so it can advance its CAR T-cell BNT-211 program in the clinic.
Allogene Therapeutics Inc.’s decision to preferentially pursue first-line treatment of large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) with CAR T cemacabtagene ansegedleucel (cema-cel, previously known as ALLO-501A) met mixed reviews on Wall Street.
CAR T-cell therapies have worked well at curing blood malignancies, but a group out of the University Hospital of Erlangen have repurposed the technology as a treatment for autoimmune diseases. The expansion into new diseases has required cooperation between multiple departments, with CAR T experts taking the lead on treatment and potential side effects, and rheumatologists measuring the outcomes of the treatment.
If there had been any lingering market concerns following the temporary partial clinical hold earlier this year for Arcellx Inc.’s multiple myeloma CAR T-cell therapy, CART-ddBCMA, they were likely put to rest as partner Gilead Sciences Inc.’s Kite unit expanded the scope of the firms’ late 2022 collaboration to include lymphomas. At the same time, Kite exercised an option to negotiate a license for Arcellx’s ARC-Sparx program, ACLX-001, in multiple myeloma.
Legend Biotech Corp. is entering what it no doubt hopes will be another fruitful collaboration with big pharma. Legend’s wholly owned subsidiary, Legend Biotech Ireland Ltd., will work with Novartis AG in an exclusive global development and license agreement for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies targeting DLL3.
Legend Biotech Corp. is entering what it no doubt hopes will be another fruitful collaboration with big pharma. Legend’s wholly owned subsidiary, Legend Biotech Ireland Ltd., will work with Novartis AG in an exclusive global development and license agreement for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies targeting DLL3.
Nearly a year and a half after an interim analysis cast doubt on the future of Atara Biotherapeutics Inc.’s phase II study of ATA-188 in treating non-active progressive multiple sclerosis (PMS), the newly released primary analysis didn’t change much.
Among the avalanche of abstracts for the upcoming American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual conference released early on Nov. 2 were data from Arcellx Inc.’s phase I study of CART-ddBCMA in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The results caught investors’ attention as the company’s stock (NASDAQ:ACLX) jumped 18.5% upward to close at $40.77 per share.
Chimeric Therapeutics Ltd.‘s chlorotoxin (CLTX) CAR T therapy, CHM-1101, which is derived from scorpion toxin, saw a disease control rate of 55%, exceeding the historical disease control rates of 20% to 37% in heavily pre-treated patients with glioblastoma.
Chimeric Therapeutics Ltd.‘s chlorotoxin (CLTX) CAR T therapy, CHM-1101, which is derived from scorpion toxin, saw a disease control rate of 55%, exceeding the historical disease control rates of 20% to 37% in heavily pre-treated patients with glioblastoma.
