Protagonist Therapeutics Inc. has selected PN-881, an oral peptide interleukin-17 (IL-17) antagonist, as a development candidate for the treatment of immune-mediated skin diseases.
IL-23 receptor antagonist icotrokinra hit co-primary phase III endpoints in moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, positioning the oral peptide at the forefront of a multibillion-dollar franchise for partners Protagonist Therapeutics Inc. and Johnson & Johnson.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and Protagonist Therapeutics Inc. have inked a global development and commercialization deal worth up to $1.7 billion for Protagonist’s rusfertide for treatment of polycythemia vera (PV), a rare and chronic blood disorder affecting bone marrow.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and Protagonist Therapeutics Inc. have inked a global development and commercialization deal worth up to $1.7 billion for Protagonist’s rusfertide for treatment of polycythemia vera (PV), a rare and chronic blood disorder affecting bone marrow.
Protagonist Therapeutics Inc. got a win in its phase IIb study and is making plans for a phase III. JNJ-2113 (formerly PN-235), an oral, interleukin-23 receptor antagonist peptide, hit its primary efficacy endpoint in treating moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. A statistically significant greater proportion of the participants receiving JNJ-2113 saw a 75% improvement in their skin lesions compared to placebo at week 16.
Hepcidin deficiency in hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) leads to increased absorption of dietary iron and thus iron overload. Rusfertide is a hepcidin mimetic peptide that has shown efficacy at reducing the need for therapeutic maintenance phlebotomy in patients with HH. Researchers aimed to evaluate the benefits of cotreatment with a hepcidin mimetic peptide plus the rusfertide analogue PN-23114 (Protagonist Therapeutics Inc.) at 7.5 mg/kg t.i.w. and phlebotomy in a murine model of HH.
Protagonist Therapeutics Inc. has disclosed hepcidin mimetic conjugates acting as solute carrier family 40 member 1 (SLC40A1, ferroportin) ligands with extended half-life and stability.
The May 2014 approval of Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s Entyvio (vedolizumab) brought welcome news in the form of an important mechanism of action for patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, but also means a burdensome course of administration – 30 minutes’ worth of infusion every six weeks, a drawback that other developers are trying to remedy. Standouts among the up-and-comers are Morphic Holding Inc., with an oral candidate that works through the same mechanism of action as Entyvio, and Protagonist Therapeutics Inc.
Protagonist Therapeutics Inc. continues having a tough time. The latest is a steep stock drop after a phase II trial in ulcerative colitis (UC) missed its primary endpoint, but the company insists the data are good enough to move into phase III. Top-line data showed a 450-mg BID dose of PN-943 in treating moderate to severe UC missed its primary endpoint, which was the number of participants achieving clinical remission at week 12 compared to placebo.
It’s been one thing after another for rusfertide from Protagonist Therapeutics Inc. for the past year. Now the U.S. FDA has told the company it wants to rescind the breakthrough designation, a relatively rare occurrence, based on observed malignancies in a follow-up to September’s clinical hold.
