Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), formerly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disorder with no known cure. While three therapies have gained U.S. FDA approvals to date, including Rilutek (riluzole), Radicava/Radicava ORS (edaravone) and tofersen (BIIB-067, the lack of a disease-modifying drug has spurred the continual search for novel therapies.
Patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (r/r MM) treated with Carsgen Therapeutics Holdings Ltd.’s CAR T therapy, zevorcabtagene autoleucel (zevor-cel, CT-053), have shown durable responses lasting nearly five years.
Beijing QL Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s once-monthly GLP-1 receptor agonist, zovaglutide (ZT-002), met its primary and secondary endpoints in a phase II obesity trial, and QL Biopharm will now advance the GLP-1 to a pivotal phase III study.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists in the U.K. has published its first-ever guidance to support research into psychedelic drugs as therapies for conditions including treatment-resistant depression, substance abuse disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder, saying that in a fast-moving field there is a risk of jumping ahead of the evidence.
Two recent studies should provide comfort to medical device manufacturers who develop tools and devices for bariatric surgery. Patients who undergo bariatric surgery lost nearly three times more weight than those who received prescriptions for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) or GLP-1/gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) receptor agonists in a real-world, retrospective study published in JAMA Surgery.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists in the U.K. has published its first-ever guidance to support research into psychedelic drugs as therapies for conditions including treatment-resistant depression, substance abuse disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder, saying that in a fast-moving field there is a risk of jumping ahead of the evidence.
As the first – and so far only – drug to enter clinical testing for the rare neurogenetic disorder Alexander disease, there were some unknowns heading into the readout of the pivotal study testing Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s zilganersen in children and adults. But the top-line data yielded a clear win for the antisense oligonucleotide candidate, which demonstrated a disease-modifying impact, including statistical significance on the primary endpoint of gait speed as assessed by the 10-Meter Walk Test vs. control at week 61.
MBX Biosciences Inc. posted positive top-line phase II study data in treating chronic hypoparathyroidism, positioning itself to take on a U.S. FDA-approved therapy for the rare endocrine disease. MBX’s Avail study of canvuparatide hit its primary endpoint in treating adults, demonstrating statistical significance at week 12 and positive six-month results from the open-label extension study. MBX said it is poised to begin a phase III study of once-weekly canvuparatide next year.
Beijing QL Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s once-monthly GLP-1 receptor agonist, zovaglutide (ZT-002), met its primary and secondary endpoints in a phase II obesity trial, and QL Biopharm will now advance the GLP-1 to a pivotal phase III study.
Following the first approvals in the U.K., Canada, Australia and Switzerland, the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) is now recommending approval of Bayer AG’s Lynkuet (elinzanetant), a non-hormonal treatment for symptoms of menopause. The drug, the first dual neurokinin-1 and neurokinin-3 receptor antagonist, is for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms, also known as hot flashes.
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