Nektar Therapeutics Inc. President and CEO Howard Robin didn’t mince words during a call with investors after market close Feb. 23 to disclose top-line data from a phase II study testing rezpegaldesleukin (rezpeg) in systemic lupus erythematosus, which fell short of partner Eli Lilly and Co.’s criteria for advancing to phase III and raised uncertainty as to how the big pharma might proceed in other indications such as atopic dermatitis (AD).
It’s the season for reevaluation as companies weed out programs that don’t offer much promise. At the head of the line is Sanofi SA’s once-potential myasthenia gravis blockbuster tolebrutinib. A partial clinical hold on the phase III study is part of the reasoning for stopping its development. But so is competition, the company said. Other companies eliminating development programs include Roche Holding AG, Gilead Sciences Inc., AB Science SA and Merck & Co. Inc.
Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) patients developing resistance to existing BTK inhibitors now have a new treatment option, with the U.S. FDA’s accelerated approval of Jaypirca (pirtobrutinib) from Eli Lilly and Co.’s oncology unit, Loxo@Lilly. It is indicated for use in adults with relapsed or refractory disease who have received at least two lines of systemic therapy, including a BTK inhibitor.
Eli Lilly and Co.’s complete response letter (CRL) from the U.S. FDA relating to accelerated approval of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) candidate donanemab set off a round of speculation regarding not only what the move might mean for the pharma giant but also for others in the embattled therapeutic space and beyond. The answer, if you believe analysts: not much.
Abbvie Inc. and Eli Lilly and Co. Inc. have pulled out of the U.K.’s voluntary pricing scheme for branded drugs in protest at the 26.5% of their revenues they would be required to pay back to the government in 2023.
Trex Bio Inc. has entered into a multi-year research collaboration and exclusive worldwide license agreement with Eli Lilly & Co. to develop novel therapies for the treatment of immune-mediated diseases.
Trex Bio Inc., which kicked off 2022 with a big pharma partnership, is back at it again, starting the new year with a potential $1.1 billion agreement with original backer Eli Lilly and Co. targeting immune-mediated diseases. Under the terms, Trexbio gets $55 million up front, with Lilly picking up an exclusive worldwide license for candidates from three programs.
Eli Lilly and Co., through its wholly owned subsidiary Prevail Therapeutics Inc., is delving more deeply into gene therapies. In a new collaboration, Prevail will use privately held Capsida Biotherapeutics Inc.’s adeno-associated virus engineering platform, coupling the tech with Prevail’s gene therapies to target causes of CNS diseases.
Shares in Dutch RNA editing specialist Proqr Therapeutics NV (NASDAQ:PRQR) surged by as much as 88% Dec. 22 news that Eli Lilly and Co. is substantially expanding an existing preclinical alliance. It is paying Proqr an initial $75 million, which consists of an up-front payment and equity investment, a potential $50 million option fee should it decide to widen the scope of the partnership even further, and up to $2.5 billion in new research, development, and commercialization milestones. Proqr would also receive royalties on any resulting product sales.
Sosei Heptares and Eli Lilly and Co. have signed a potential $731 million deal to discover, develop and commercialize small molecules that modulate G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) targets associated with diabetes and metabolic diseases.
