A potential new treatment for the rare condition Wilson disease moved a step closer to reality after Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc., now part of Astrazeneca plc, announced positive top-line results from a phase III trial of ALXN-1840 (tiomolibdate choline). Astrazeneca’s shares (NASDAQ:AZN) ticked up following the announcement, closing Aug. 26 at $58.76, up 18 cents. From the point of view of the big U.K. pharma, it’s a good piece of news as it hopes to build a rare disease franchise from its $39 billion acquisition of Alexion, which was completed last month.

Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Affibody, Arcutis, Ascletis, Bluewillow, Bridgebio, Brii, Clarity, Cortexyme, Cytodyn, Emergent, Fibrogen, Flexion, FSD, IBT, Inmagene, Janssen, Lianbio, Lipocine, Merck, Novavax, Noxopharm, Rafael, Senhwa, Xrad.

Brii Biosciences Ltd. made strides toward getting its SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing monoclonal antibody combination therapy, BRII-196/BRII-198, to market with positive interim phase III data that show high-risk outpatients may benefit from the combination therapy up to 10 days following symptom onset.

Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Adjuvance, Awakn, Cartesian, Eom, Meiji, Nouscom, Novartis, Oramed, Oncotelic, Regeneron, Reistone, Sorrento, Theravance, Timber.

Coherus Biosciences Inc. and partner Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co. Ltd. continued to build their case for the anti-PD-1 antibody toripalimab, popping the lid off positive interim data from the pivotal, combination phase III study called Choice-01 in first-line advanced squamous or non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Adlai Nortye Biopharma Co. Ltd.’s $100 million series D financing in July threw new light on the enticing prospect of targeting EP4 in prostaglandin (PGE2)-driven cancers, and a number of players are lined up in the space.

Theravance Biopharma Inc.’s phase IIb fizzle with izencitinib in ulcerative colitis (UC) put a dent in shares, as Wall Street mulled the ongoing phase II study in Crohn’s disease (CD) as well as prospects regarding the deal with Johnson & Johnson.

As talk increases of third doses of COVID-19 vaccine, a game-changing option is delivering them intranasally instead of intramuscularly. “It’s all about nasal carriage. It’s a better way to not carry the virus and not make others sick,” Bluewillow Biologics Inc. CEO Chad Costley told BioWorld. “The most important thing is that it’s safe.”