Ensho Therapeutics Inc. launched in July after licensing a pipeline of four oral α4β7 inhibitors for inflammatory and gastrointestinal disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), from EA Pharma Co. Ltd. “Millions of people worldwide are living with IBD,” Ensho founder, president and executive chair Neena Bitritto-Garg recently told BioWorld, “and while there are a number of approved medications to address the symptoms of IBD, it remains a difficult-to-treat disease with high relapse rates for a considerable proportion of patients.”
Ensho Therapeutics Inc. launched in July after licensing a pipeline of four oral α4β7 inhibitors for inflammatory and gastrointestinal disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), from EA Pharma Co. Ltd. “Millions of people worldwide are living with IBD,” Ensho founder, president and executive chair Neena Bitritto-Garg recently told BioWorld, “and while there are a number of approved medications to address the symptoms of IBD, it remains a difficult-to-treat disease with high relapse rates for a considerable proportion of patients.”
In the third-largest acquisition announced this year, pharma giant Eli Lilly and Co. is buying oral integrin therapies developer Morphic Holding Inc. for $3.2 billion. Morphic stock (NASDAQ:MORF) got a tremendous boost from the acquisition, with shares closing 75% upward at $55.74 each on July 8, the day the deal was announced.
Thirtyfivebio Ltd. has announced the award of a £643,371 (US$817,000) grant by Innovate UK to support work on first-in-class small-molecule inhibitors of G protein-coupled receptor 35 (GPR35).
Monte Rosa Therapeutics Inc. has submitted an IND application to the FDA for MRT-6160, a highly selective and orally bioavailable molecular glue degrader directed against VAV1 in development for systemic and neurological autoimmune diseases.
Abbvie Inc. and Futuregen Biopharmaceutical (Beijing) Co. Ltd. have signed a license agreement to develop FG-M701, a next-generation TL1A antibody for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.
F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. and Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. have described hypoxia inducible factor-2α (HIF-2α; EPAS1) inhibitors reported to be useful for treatment of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
Epiendo Pharmaceuticals ehf and Alveolix AG have achieved significant milestones in their collaboration to advance the treatment of ulcerative colitis.
Altrubio Inc. secured up to $225 million in an oversubscribed series B financing round, led by BVF Partners LP. The full amount is dependent on Altrubio meeting certain undisclosed milestones. New investors RA Capital Management, Cormorant Asset Management and Soleus Capital, and existing investors Amoon Fund and Blackstone Multi-Asset Investing, as well as other new and existing investors, also participated in the financing round.
Artus Therapeutics Inc. and the Institute for Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine (Instem) have synthesized aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists reported to be useful for the treatment of ulcerative colitis.
