Drawn to the potential for improved selectivity and safety profiles of PARP-1-specific inhibitors over their first-generation counterparts, Merck KGaA signed an exclusive, worldwide license deal with Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. worth up to €1.4 billion (US$1.5 billion) to gain access to the latter’s next-generation poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)-1 inhibitor, HRS-1167.
Patients living with aggressive nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) now have a new treatment option with the U.S. FDA approval of Junshi Biosciences Co. Ltd./Coherus Biosciences Inc.’s PD-1 inhibitor antibody Loqtorzi (toripalimab), which will likely become the new standard of care for NPC.
Peel Therapeutics believes evolutionary biology holds the key to developing new therapeutics for cancer and inflammation, a relatively unique approach in the world of biotech, but one that is bearing fruit: Its lead molecule is derived from camptothecin, a compound originating from the Chinese Happy Tree that is thought to have evolved as a plant defense mechanism, and it has progressed to a phase I dose escalation study in patients with advanced solid tumors.
Oncolys Biopharma Inc.’s lead compound Telomelysin (suratadenoturev, OBP-301) met the primary endpoint of exceeding the predefined threshold of local complete response, confirming clinical benefit in a phase II study in locally advanced esophageal cancer combined with radiation.
With Deciphera Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s positive top-line data in hand from the pivotal phase III study called Motion, Wall Street speculation turned to the comparative safety and regulatory odds for vimseltinib (which analysts often refer to as “vim”) in patients with tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT) not amenable to surgery.
Shanghai-based Henlius Biotech Inc. and India’s Intas Pharmaceuticals Ltd. agreed upon a potential €185 million (US$195.38 million) licensing deal for Intas to develop and sell Henlius’ China NMPA-approved lung cancer drug, serplulimab, across Europe and India. Serplulimab (HLX-02) is a recombinant humanized PD-1 monoclonal antibody (MAb) injection that first gained approval as Hansizhuang in March 2022.
Disappointing preliminary top-line data from Kintara Therapeutics Inc.’s phase II/III study of VAL-083 (dianhydrogalactitol) is causing the company to shift its attention and resources to another cancer program. In the meantime, the results wreaked havoc on the stock and sent the company on a mission to look at its options.
Prelude Therapeutics Inc. has described phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase α (PI3Kα) (His1047Arg mutant) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer and congenital lipomatous overgrowth, vascular malformations, epidermal naevi and skeletal abnormalities.
Nerviano Medical Sciences Srl has identified cyclin-dependent kinase 11A (CDK11A) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer and immunological disorders.
Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Co. Ltd. and Shanghai Hengrui Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. have disclosed HER2 (erbB2) and/or HER2 (erbB2) mutant inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.
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