Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University have found that using ultrasound to pop microbubbles already present in a contrast agent nearly doubled liver tumor response to transarterial radioembolization. The procedure raised no safety concerns and increased the likelihood of patients receiving a liver transplant.
Following a priority review of Orgovyx (relugolix), an oral hormone therapy developed by Myovant Sciences GmbH, the FDA has approved the medicine for the treatment of adults with advanced prostate cancer. The first success among three indications for which Myovant has developed the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor agonist, the green light marks Myovant’s transformation into a commercial-stage company, SVB Leerink analyst Ami Fadia noted. Company shares (NYSE:MYOV) fell 4.5% to $23.61 following the Dec. 18 approval.
In what could end up being a deal that tops $1 billion, Merck & Co. Inc. cut a collaboration and license agreement with Janux Therapeutics to find, develop and commercialize T cell engager immunotherapies for cancer patients.
In the second half of November, Black Diamond Therapeutics Inc. gained attention from Wall Street by nominating BDTX-1535 as the firm’s development candidate for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and kicked off IND-enabling studies.
Scientists at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, have developed a small-molecule inhibitor of the cellular stress-protective transcription factor, heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), which showed developmental promise against treatment-resistant prostate cancer and other cancers.