The U.S. FDA approved Merck & Co. Inc.’s Keytruda Qlex (pembrolizumab and berahyaluronidase alfa-pmph) injection on Sept. 19, making it the first and only subcutaneously (SC)-administered immune checkpoint inhibitor that can be administered in about a minute.
Genfleet Therapeutics (Shanghai) Inc. debuted on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on its second attempt at an IPO, raising HK$1.819 billion (US$234 million). Genfleet’s shares (HKEX:2595) rose to HK$44.00 at the opening bell on Sept. 19 and closed at HK$42.10, about 106% higher than the listing price.
Starpharma Holdings Ltd.’s stock shot up 73% on the news that it is outlicensing its dendrimer enhanced product drug delivery technology to Roche Holding AG subsidiary Genentech Inc. in a deal worth more than $569 million.
While U.S. policymakers are scaling back funding on mRNA vaccine research, Australia is accelerating investment in the technology. At the center of this effort is Moderna Inc., which is establishing an mRNA research and manufacturing footprint in the country and banking on decades of local expertise to bring new therapies to the clinic and serve as a regional hub for Asia Pacific.
China Pharmaceutical University has patented non-ubiquitin proteolysis targeting chimera (NuTACs) comprising proteasomal ubiquitin receptor ADRM1 (ARM1; hRpn13) linked to programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (CD274; PD-L1) and/or bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4; HUNK1)-targeting moiety. They are reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, eye disorders, viral infections, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory disorders and systemic inflammatory response syndrome.
3B Pharmaceuticals GmbH has discovered conjugates comprising peptides targeting urokinase plasminogen activator surface receptor (uPAR) covalently linked to a chelating moiety through a linker. They are reported to be useful for the diagnosis and/or treatment of cancer.
Monte Rosa Therapeutics Inc. has synthesized molecular glue degraders comprising a E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase binding moiety coupled to a cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2)-targeting moiety acting as cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) degradation inducers potentially useful for the treatment of cancer.
When used as monotherapy against tumors, small molecules that mimic the SMAC protein and thereby inhibit apoptosis are ineffective. The same is true for inhibitors of BET family proteins. If each therapy on its own does not work, what about the two therapies together?
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers, with survival rates showing little improvement over decades and projections placing it as the second leading cause of cancer deaths by 2030. Chemotherapy is essential for all patients, yet most tumors lacking BRCA1/2 or PALB2 mutations show resistance to cisplatin. Growing evidence suggests that targeting nuclear factor NF-κB, a key driver of cancer progression, could help overcome this chemoresistance and improve treatment outcomes.
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