Innate Pharma SA inked a licensing deal that grants Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd exclusive worldwide rights to research and develop antibody-drug conjugates using a panel of selected Innate antibodies against an undisclosed target, with a primary focus in celiac disease.
Equillium Inc. has advanced EQ-102, a first-in-class multi-cytokine inhibitor of IL-15 and IL-21 for celiac disease, into a phase I study in healthy volunteers.
In this case, more is just too much. The number of participants needed to determine a significant clinical outcome in 9 Meters Biopharma Inc.’s phase III of larazotide in treating celiac disease has grown too large to support the study. The company said an independent statistician’s interim analysis convinced it to take a step back and re-evaluate its options for developing the zonulin inhibitor in the indication.
Mozart Therapeutics Inc. CEO Katie Fanning said the firm’s $55 million series A financing will allow the filing of an IND, probably in early 2024, for a prospect in celiac disease. Founded in July 2020, Seattle-based Mozart is based on research into the CD8 T-cell regulatory network, which has been found to play an important role in surveillance, recognition and elimination of inappropriately activated autoreactive and pathogenic immune cells.
LONDON – Topas Therapeutics GmbH announced the close of a series B round at €40 million (US$47.5 million), to take forward its two lead immune tolerizing programs. The first, TPM-203, is in clinical development for the treatment of the rare, severe autoimmune skin disorder pemphigus vulgaris, while the second, TPM-502, is due to enter the clinic in celiac disease before the end of the year.
9 Meters Biopharma Inc., of Raleigh, N.C., is newly born from the merger of Innovate Biopharmaceuticals Inc. and privately held RDD Pharma Ltd., of New York and Tel Aviv, Israel. About $22 million in new financing, led by Orbimed Advisors Ltd., and the signing of another merger into the new company of Richmond, Calif.-based Naia Rare Diseases Inc., which develops GLP-1 to treat short bowel syndrome, completes 9 Meters’ new path.
Anokion SA, a Swiss biotech focused on autoimmune disease, is bringing in-house a startup it spun out for a development alliance with Astellas Pharma Inc. The acquisition of Kanyos Bio Inc., announced alongside news it closed a $40 million series B financing, puts front and center KAN-101, a preclinical celiac disease drug poised for an IND filing by year-end. Together with Anokion's lead candidate, ANK-780, an antigen-specific treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), the company anticipates having two programs in clinical development within the next 12 months.
