Just ahead of the Aug. 13 PDUFA date, Citius Pharmaceuticals Inc. won the U.S. FDA’s go-ahead for Lymphir (denileukin diftitox-cxdl), a new immunotherapy for relapsed/refractory (r/r) cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) after at least one prior systemic therapy. The drug is Cranford, N.J.-based Citius’ first approved therapy and the only CTCL treatment that targets the interleukin-2 receptor found on malignant T cells and regulatory T cells. It’s also the first green light given by the FDA for r/r CTCL since 2018.
Phase II data showing an 11.1-month improvement in overall survival for advanced ovarian cancer patients treated with the IL-12 immunotherapy IMNN-001 drove up shares of Imunon Inc. by 181% July 30. The results “could usher in the first immune-based therapy for ovarian cancer,” said Stacy Lindborg, president and CEO of the Lawrenceville, N.J.-based company.
The U.S. FDA advised Agenus Inc. to conduct a phase III trial for its immunotherapy combination, botensilimab (bot) and balstilimab (bal), instead of seeking accelerated approval based on phase II data, sending company shares plunging by 58.8% July 18.
As competition rises in the Keytruda (pembrolizumab) biosimilar space, Celltrion Inc. is the latest to announce that it filed an IND application to the U.S. FDA to start a global phase III trial for its own Keytruda biosimilar, dubbed CT-P51. Incheon, South Korea-based Celltrion, which previously said it would differentiate from the pack by developing an easier-to-administer subcutaneous biosimilar of pembrolizumab, announced June 17 plans to start a global comparative phase III study of CT-P51 and Keytruda.
As competition rises in the Keytruda (pembrolizumab) biosimilar space, Celltrion Inc. is the latest to announce that it filed an IND application to the U.S. FDA to start a global phase III trial for its own Keytruda biosimilar, dubbed CT-P51. Incheon, South Korea-based Celltrion, which previously said it would differentiate from the pack by developing an easier-to-administer subcutaneous biosimilar of pembrolizumab, announced June 17 plans to start a global comparative phase III study of CT-P51 and Keytruda.
Researchers from Lund University presented data from a study that aimed to identify novel targets for immunotherapy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). To identify differentially expressed cell surface proteins in the primitive CD34+CD38- cell populations, an arrayed antibody screen was performed on primary bone marrow samples from patients with AML as well as healthy donors.
Amid intensifying competition in the PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint space, Samsung Bioepis Co. Ltd. kicked off a phase I study of SB-27, a biosimilar of Merck & Co Inc.’s blockbuster immunotherapy, Keytruda (pembrolizumab), for lung cancer. Posted on clinicaltrials.gov on Feb. 20, the randomized, double-blind, three-arm, parallel group and multicenter phase I study will examine the pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety of SB-27 against an EU-sourced and U.S.-sourced Keytruda in 135 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.
Amid intensifying competition in the PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint space, Samsung Bioepis Co. Ltd. kicked off a phase I study of SB-27, a biosimilar of Merck & Co Inc.’s blockbuster immunotherapy, Keytruda (pembrolizumab), for lung cancer. Posted on clinicaltrials.gov on Feb. 20, the randomized, double-blind, three-arm, parallel group and multicenter phase I study will examine the pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety of SB-27 against an EU-sourced and U.S.-sourced Keytruda in 135 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.
After raising $20 million in a series B round in December 2022, Aravax Pty Ltd. has raised another $22 million to close out its series B round with $42 million that expands the syndicate with new investors Novartis Venture Fund, Breakthrough Victoria, Uniseed, Unisuper, and Agati Capital. The funds will take the company’s peanut allergy immunotherapy, PVX-108, through phase II trials.
After raising $20 million in a series B round in December 2022, Aravax Pty Ltd. has raised another $22 million to close out its series B round with $42 million that expands the syndicate with new investors Novartis Venture Fund, Breakthrough Victoria, Uniseed, Unisuper, and Agati Capital. The funds will take the company’s peanut allergy immunotherapy, PVX-108, through phase II trials.
