The fate of three cancer drugs, and possibly the future financial health of their sponsors, could be on the line Sept. 22 and 23 as the U.S. FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) takes a hard look at the safety-efficacy data for Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s Pozenveo, Oncopeptides AB’s Pepaxto and Secura Bio Inc.’s Copiktra. First up in the triple-header is Pozenveo (poziotinib), which is seeking accelerated approval as a second-line treatment for patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer harboring HER2 exon 20 insertion mutations confirmed by an FDA-approved test.
Startup Avelos Therapeutics Inc. raised $8 million in series A funding that will launch the company’s biomarker-driven cancer therapy pipeline using its synthetic lethality platform. Participating in the series A funding were SV Investment, UTC Investment, Quad Investment Management, Timepolio Asset Management, Mirae Asset Venture Investment and Mirae Asset Capital.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Radiopharm Theranostics Ltd. have launched Radiopharm Ventures LLC, a joint venture (JV) that will develop radiopharmaceutical therapies for cancer. Radiopharm Theranostics owns 51% of shares in the new entity, while MD Anderson owns 49%.
Sex differences at the cellular level could explain why men respond less well to glioblastoma (GBM) treatments, according to a study led by the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis (WUSTL). The researchers found that male and female GBM tumor cells had different metabolic needs. GBM cells from male surgical samples absorbed more glutamine and had different nutritional preferences for amino acids.
Immuno-oncology company Imugene Ltd. announced an AU$80 million (US$53.9 million) capital raise that will allow the company to add additional studies within its immuno-oncology pipeline as well as pursue potential licensing opportunities. The funds raised will allow the company to interrogate its pipeline further in other indications or combinations, Imugene CEO Leslie Chong told BioWorld. “There’s a lot we could do with our current pipeline, and now our cashflow is greatly extended.”
New and updated preclinical and clinical data presented by biopharma firms at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2022, including: Alphamab, Beyondspring, Triumvira.
Using a two-drug combination, researchers at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) have been able to achieve brain-specific inhibition of several kinases.
Top-line phase III results showing Hutchmed Ltd.’s targeted therapy fruquintinib reduced the risks of death and disease progression by 34% and 68%, respectively, for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer could “lay a solid foundation for Hutchmed to initiate discussions with regulatory authorities worldwide,” a spokesperson of Hutchmed, told BioWorld.
Neukio Biotherapeutics Co. Ltd. has raised $50 million to support preclinical validation and clinical development of new cell therapies for cancer. The series A-1 round was led by CD Capital, Beijing Alwin Asset Management Co. Ltd. and Surplus Capital, with contributions from previous investors Lilly Asia Ventures, Sherpa Healthcare Partners Co. Ltd., and IDG Capital.
Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies and mRNA-based vaccines represent two of the most significant new modalities to gain regulatory approval in the past decade. Capstan Therapeutics Inc. has emerged from stealth with bold ambitions to combine these two approaches in mRNA-programmed cell therapies that will be generated in vivo from patients’ endogenous cells. It has so far secured $165 million in equity funding to pursue that vision.
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