At the recent Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer meeting, researchers from Dong-A ST Co. Ltd. presented preclinical data for the novel small-molecule general control nonderepressible 2 (GCN2) inhibitor, DA-4507, being developed for the treatment of cancer.
Elpiscience Biopharma Ltd.’s ES-005 is a new high-affinity monoclonal antibody (MAb) that blocks human lymphocyte-activated gene 3 (LAG3) from binding to several ligands, such as major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II), liver and lymph node sinusoidal endothelial cell C-type lectin (L SECtin) and fibrinogen like 1 (FGL1).
Immutep Ltd.’s lead immunotherapy candidate eftilagimod (IMP-321, efti) met the primary endpoint in its phase II trial evaluating the combination of efti and Merck & Co. Inc.’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab) as first-line treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), reporting final data that show an overall response rate of 40.4%.
Que Oncology Inc.’s Q-122 significantly reduced the frequency and severity of moderate and severe vasomotor symptoms, or hot flashes, in women taking endocrine therapy for breast cancer, and phase II results showed associated improvement in quality of life, compared with placebo.
GSK plc said it will restrict the second-line maintenance indication for ovarian cancer drug Zejula (niraparib) to only patients with deleterious or suspected germline BRCA mutations, at the request of the FDA, in a sign that U.S. regulators aren’t going to relax scrutiny on PARP inhibitors any time soon.
China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) awarded Akeso Inc. breakthrough therapy designation for its PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor/VEGF bispecific antibody, ivonescimab (AK-112), combined with docetaxel for locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients who failed to respond to prior PD-(L)1 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy.
Therapy delivery and the physicians who administer them are keys in CG Oncology Inc.’s drive to develop bladder cancer treatments. The company, which just closed an oversubscribed $120 million series E financing to continue on the development path, has its lead oncolytic immunotherapy, CG-0070, intravesically delivered via a catheter, in the clinic.
Momentum is building at Jnana Therapeutics Inc. The firm has raised $107 million in a series C round and banked another $50 million up front from a new drug discovery and development pact with Roche Holding AG, which could potentially deliver significant near-term milestones and more than $2 billion in future milestone payments. It also commenced recruitment onto a first-in-human study of its lead drug candidate, JNT-517, an inhibitor of the phenylalanine transporter SLC6A19, which is in development for phenylketonuria.
Genhouse Medicine (Suzhou) Co. Ltd. has divulged histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, lung, alcoholic liver and Alzheimer's diseases, among others.