Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd.’s wholly owned subsidiary, Eucure Biopharma Co. Ltd., licensed exclusive greater China rights to YH-008 to Chipscreen Biosciences Co. Ltd. in a ¥596 million (US$86 million) deal. Chipscreen subsidiary, Chipscreen Newway Biosciences Co. Ltd., will develop and commercialize the bispecific antibody in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
If clinical efforts pan out, gamma delta T-cell specialist TC Biopharm plc could plant the space’s first U.S. regulatory flag. Founded 10 years ago, the Glasgow, U.K.-based firm is marching ahead with phase IIb work testing main asset Omnimmune, an allogeneic unmodified cell therapy, in acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
For Aqemia SA, the year got off to a good start, as one of its pharma partners, Les Laboratoires Servier SAS, extended an existing collaboration to drug a supposedly undruggable immuno-oncology target, using its Launchpad artificial intelligence platform.
Transthera Sciences Inc., a Nanjing, China-based company developing small-molecule therapies in cancer, inflammation and cardiovascular disease, raised ¥260 million (US$38 million) in a series D+ funding round to advance its first drug product.
Antibody specialist Jounce Therapeutics Inc. and Redx Pharma plc are to merge in an all-share transaction with a value of $425 million, in a deal that will see Redx’s small-molecule cancer and fibrosis drugs absorbing the lion’s share of the combined cash and its shareholders owning 63% of the combined company.
Aiming to start afresh under a new name, troubled Mei Pharma Inc. wants to merge with Infinity Pharmaceuticals Inc. in an all-stock transaction that would provide the combined outfit enough cash to fund operations through mid-2025. Specifically, coffers of the newly made firm would contain about $100 million for the advancement of three oncology candidates in a pipeline led by Infinity’s phase II-stage eganelisib for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
Radiopharmaceutical company Fusion Pharmaceuticals Inc. is acquiring a phase II actinium-based alpha-emitter radiopharma program for prostate cancer from Radiomedix Inc.
Indicating its continuing strategy to invest in antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), Astrazeneca plc obtained exclusive global rights to Claudin 18.2 ADC CMG-901 from Keymed Biosciences Inc. and Lepu Biopharma Co. Ltd. in a deal worth up to $1.163 billion.
The other shoe dropped in a good way for backers of Actinium Pharmaceuticals Inc. as the firm popped the lid off full data from the phase III study called Sierra testing Iomab-B in patients age 55 and older with active relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (r/r AML). Antibody radiation conjugate (ARC) Iomab-B met the primary endpoint of durable complete remission of six months following initial complete remission after bone-marrow transplant with a high degree of statistical significance.
New and updated clinical data presented by biopharma firms at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, including: Bellicum, Celcuity, Janssen, Lava, Promontory.