More than four years after a phase II/III trial with Sanofi SA’s oral glucosylceramide synthase inhibitor venglustat was stopped for lack of benefit in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, the company rolled out mixed phase III data from two more efforts.
Biomarin Pharmaceutical Inc. followed up its May takeover of Inozyme Pharma Inc. with a much larger agreement to acquire Amicus Therapeutics Inc. for $14.50 per share in an all-cash transaction, tipping the equity-value scale about $4.8 billion.
Sangamo Therapeutics Inc. is adding a much-needed $18 million up-front payment in a neurology-focused deal with Eli Lilly and Co. that could bring up to an additional $1.4 billion. In return, Lilly gets access to Sangamo’s neurotropic adeno-associated virus (AAV) capsid, STAC-BBB, which has shown early promise in penetrating the blood-brain barrier penetration, for one initial target with the right to add up to four more.
Fabry disease is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by a deficiency of the enzyme α-galactosidase A (GLA), which leads to complex multisystemic involvement, with the majority of patients developing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
The FDA has cleared an IND for a phase I/II trial of LA-GLA (GC-1134A, HM-15421), an innovative enzyme replacement therapy for Fabry disease being co-developed by GC Biopharma Corp. and Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.
Relay Therapeutics Inc. has disclosed three new programs from its existing preclinical pipeline, including two novel programs from its genetic disease portfolio and a potentially first-in-class NRAS-selective inhibitor.
Sangamo Therapeutics Inc.’s gene therapy for Fabry disease, isaralgagene civaparvovec (ST-920), is continuing to show promising efficacy and safety in the phase I/II study, Staar, but further ahead, the company needs to either attract a partner or secure financing to move to a registrational trial.
