As competition rises in the Keytruda (pembrolizumab) biosimilar space, Celltrion Inc. is the latest to announce that it filed an IND application to the U.S. FDA to start a global phase III trial for its own Keytruda biosimilar, dubbed CT-P51. Incheon, South Korea-based Celltrion, which previously said it would differentiate from the pack by developing an easier-to-administer subcutaneous biosimilar of pembrolizumab, announced June 17 plans to start a global comparative phase III study of CT-P51 and Keytruda.
Fledgling biotech Ternarx Pty Ltd. has emerged from stealth mode and is the first of its kind in Australia to develop targeted protein degrader technology to destroy disease-causing proteins that cannot be targeted by conventional drugs. The Melbourne-based company will initially develop targeted protein degraders against currently undrugged transcription factors in cancers with significant unmet need, starting with neuroblastoma and prostate cancer.
The deaths of two cancer patients treated with the small molecule azenosertib has prompted the U.S. FDA to place a partial clinical hold on a phase I study and two phase II studies from Zentalis Pharmaceuticals Inc. The deaths are presumed by Zentalis to be from sepsis. Both patients who died were in the phase II Denali study of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.
Following a day of deals that collectively bring a potential $3.75 billion into three biopharma companies – namely Ascidian Therapeutics Inc., Belharra Therapeutics Inc. and Mabcare Therapeutics – researchers will be busy discovering new therapies for neurological and immunological diseases, and advancing globally a candidate for solid tumors.
Lhotse Bio Inc. has described lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1 (LPAR1; EDG2) antagonists reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, fibrosis, inflammatory disorders, multiple sclerosis, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD, formerly nonalcoholic fatty liver disease [NAFLD]), osteoporosis, SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) and transplant rejection.
Shanghai Qilu Pharmaceutical Research and Development Centre Ltd. has synthesized cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) and/or CDK19 inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.
Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation has disclosed estrogen receptor α (ER-α; ESR1) antagonists reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.
Researchers from Philochem AG recently reported the discovered OncoFAP, a high-affinity small organic ligand of fibroblast activation protein (FAP) that has shown rapid accumulation in tumors and low uptake in healthy tissues in preclinical models.
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