A quick jury verdict that a biopharma official was guilty of insider trading validated the U.S. SEC’s broader view of what constitutes such trading and could ignite more SEC “shadow trading” investigations and allegations. Following an eight-day trial before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and a little more than two hours of deliberation, a jury found April 5 that Matthew Panuwat violated national securities laws when he purchased short-term, out-of-the-money stock options in Incyte Corp. in 2016.
Sino Biopharmaceutical Ltd. and Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH are partnering to develop innovative cancer therapies in mainland China. They will jointly develop and commercialize three clinical Boehringer assets, including brigimadlin, zongertinib, BI-764532, and other unnamed early stage assets.
Following the U.S. FDA’s expansion of competing BCMA-targeting CAR T therapy Abecma (idecabtagene vicleucel) to include third-line and later treatment in multiple myeloma (MM) patients, the agency cleared Carvykti (ciltacabtagene autoleucel) from Legend Biotech Corp. and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen unit for use in MM patients as early as second-line treatment. The label, which RBC Capital Markets analyst Leonid Timashev called a “best-case scenario,” includes no notable updates to the black box warning and should help accelerate and expand Carvykti’s update in the U.S., with 2024 revenues expected to top $950 million.
“A biotech company cannot survive on ‘drug efficacy’ alone,” former Korea Drug Development Fund (KDDF) CEO Hyunsong Muk said recently, “because novel drug development is not just a scientific problem.” Financial toxicity is, in fact, a major obstacle for biotech companies trying to advance preclinical candidates to early stage clinical trials, Muk said at Novo Nordisk A/S’ Partnering Day and Symposium on April 4 in Seoul, South Korea.
Prelude Therapeutics Inc. has divulged proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) compounds comprising an E3 ubiquitin ligase binding moiety covalently linked to a probable global transcription activator SNF2L2 (SMARCA2; BAF190B; SNF2-α) and transcription activator BRG1 (SMARCA4; BAF190A; SNF2-β) targeting moiety. They are described as potentially useful for the treatment of cancer.
Jiangsu Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. and Shanghai Hansoh Biomedical Co. Ltd. have identified pyrimidine-containing polycyclic compounds acting as GTPase KRAS (G12D mutant) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.
Cambridge Enterprise Ltd. has synthesized casein kinase II isoform α (CK2α) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, viral infection, diabetes, ischemia, neurodegeneration, circadian rhythm disorders, vascular disorders and inflammatory disorders.
Gluetacs Therapeutics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. has disclosed molecular glue degraders comprising cereblon (CRBN) ligands acting as DNA-binding protein Ikaros (IKZF1) or zinc finger protein Aiolos (IKZF3) degradation inducers reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, infections, septic shock and more.
Shasqi Inc. recently reported the discovery of novel candidates using their proprietary Click Activated Protodrugs Against Cancer (CAPAC) platform, which aims to selectively activate high doses of cancer drugs directly at the tumor site. To achieve this, CAPAC consists of two separate components: a tumor-targeted activator and an inactivated payload.