Scribe Therapeutics Inc. is aiming to advance STX-1150, its lead product candidate for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia, into the clinic around the middle of this year. Hypercholesterolemia is a major driver of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Rona Therapeutics Co. Ltd. has announced the submission of RN-5681 to the Australian Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC), and anticipates dosing to begin in a phase I trial in the first quarter of next year.
Toolgen Inc. has entered into a strategic cross-license agreement with Geneditbio Ltd. to jointly advance the development of next-generation in vivo genome-editing therapeutics.
Mabwell (Shanghai) Bioscience Co. Ltd. and Aditum Bio Management Company LLC have announced the launch of Kalexo Bio, a new company formed in conjunction with an exclusive global license agreement to develop 2MW7141.
Following a May phase II readout and a recent presentation of Tourmaline Bio Inc.’s long-acting anti-IL-6 IgG2 monoclonal antibody, pacibekitug, for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), Novartis AG offered $1.4 billion, or $48 per share, to buy the barely 4-year-old company. Previously shelved by Pfizer Inc., which had been developing it for autoimmune disorders, pacibekitug fell into the hands of New York-based Tourmaline through a May 2022 license agreement. In addition to the Tranquility phase II trial in ASCVD, the company’s lead product is also in the phase IIb Spirited trial for thyroid eye disease, a readout for which is expected in early 2026.
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide despite advances in managing classic risk factors and therapies lowering LDL-cholesterol. Inhibiting angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4), a key regulator of triglyceride metabolism, is emerging as a potential strategy to treat atherogenic dyslipidemia and lower ASCVD risk.
The morning’s negative stock reaction to Tourmaline Bio Inc.’s phase II news with heart drug pacibekitug had some onlookers scratching their heads, even as analysts congratulated the company on results from the ongoing study – a good-news dataset to which the market gradually caught on as the day progressed.
“It all comes down to outcomes,” said Michael Davidson, CEO of Newamsterdam Pharma Co. NV, which hailed “robust” and “consistent” data from its phase III study testing a fixed-dose combination of CETP inhibitor obicetrapib plus established anti-cholesterol drug ezetimibe, even as investors focused on a couple of findings that turned up lower than expected, sending shares of the company (NASDAQ:NAMS) down 15.5% to close Nov. 20 at $20.01.
