New trial results presented by Shionogi & Co. Ltd. at the 32nd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases showed the company’s 3CL protease inhibitor, S-217622, was well-tolerated, with the potential to rapidly clear SARS-CoV-2, Simon Portsmouth, executive medical director at Shionogi, told BioWorld.
Among the attention-getters at the American Association for Cancer Research meeting April 8-13 was protein-degradation specialist Kymera Therapeutics Inc., which made the preclinical case for its approach in murine double minute 2 (MDM2) research vs. an inhibitor. The MDM2 space has grown increasingly busy in recent years, with large and small biopharma concerns moving ahead with research in all phases of development.
Backed by fresh phase III data showing a combination of the IDH1 gene inhibitor Tibsovo (ivosidenib) and azacitidine significantly improved event-free survival and overall survival for adults with previously untreated IDH1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) vs. azacitidine alone, Cstone Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. is working to bring the treatment to Chinese AML patients “as soon as possible,” a spokesperson told BioWorld.
Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc. reported that ARCT-154, its self-amplifying mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, showed efficacy of 55% against infection and 95% efficacy against severe disease, meeting the primary and key secondary endpoints of the ongoing phase I/II/III trial. While the company’s stock (NASDAQ:ARCT) regained much of its initial 25% drop to close the day, investors continue to await further data to determine where Arcturus’ vaccine will fit in with available COVID-19 vaccines.
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.
More than a quarter of all clinical data reported this year are targeting cancer indications, as pandemic news dips and overall activity drops by 12.5%.
Shares of Eliem Therapeutics Inc. fell 56% on the company’s announcement that it would end development of its non-opioid palmitoylethanolamide prodrug, ETX-810, in diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain following a phase IIa failure. It was part of a double dose of bad news reported by Seattle-based Eliem, which also is delaying phase II development of depression candidate ETX-155 to resolve issues of lower-than-expected drug exposure in a phase I study of the neuroactive steroid GABAA receptor positive allosteric modulator in photosensitive epilepsy.
After rolling out positive, preliminary phase I CAR natural killer cell data, Nkarta Inc. saw its stock (NASDAQ:NKTX) soar to $18.72, up $10.95, or 140.9%, as Wall Street made known its pleasure in results from the small, independent dose-finding studies with Nkarta’s two off-the-shelf lead candidates, NKX-101 and NKX-019, in two groups of blood cancer patients: those with relapsed/refractory (r/r) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and with r/r non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), respectively.
The days when paclitaxel was the subject of controversy in connection with peripheral artery disease (PAD) seem to be drawing to a close, thanks in part to a new drug-coated balloon (DCB) by Trireme Medical Inc., of Pleasanton, Calif. Trireme’s Chocolate Touch device, a second-generation DCB with paclitaxel as an antiproliferative, fared well against a legacy paclitaxel device, thus opening a new front in the competition in the PAD space and seemingly relieving any concerns about the safety of paclitaxel.
Toosonix A/S has launched two trials as it moves to gather data enabling its high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) device to get approval for use in clinical dermatology indications. The company reported on April 19 that the first patients have been treated in a trial of its System One-M device in treating basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Meanwhile, the first patient has been cleared for treatment on April 28 in a study in neurofibromatosis, an inherited condition that causes benign tumors to form on the skin.
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