Windtree Therapeutics Inc. is out-licensing China rights for phase III-ready heart failure candidate istaroxime to Lee’s Pharmaceutical Ltd. for $138 million, plus royalties. Lee’s, of Hong Kong, plans to begin a phase III study for istaroxime in acute heart failure in greater China, while Windtree, of Warrington, Pa., will conduct a global trial in cardiogenic shock, a form of sudden heart failure. Windtree reported positive phase II data in April 2022 that tested istaroxime in cardiogenic shock, which happens when the heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to vital organs.
Shanghai-based Ji Xing Pharmaceuticals has signed a number of licensing deals over the last week for China rights to cardiovascular drugs to advance its pipeline and its global ambitions, partnering most recently with Tokyo-based TMS Co. Ltd. after the Chinese company acquired global rights for TMS-007 (also known as BIIB-131) from Biogen Inc.
Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH partnered with Newcastle University and the University of Edinburgh to fund a £30 million (US$38 million) study into liver cirrhosis in a bid to provide scientists with new insights into liver health. The partners hope that the study will not only enhance the understanding of nonalcoholic or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (NASH/MASH) cirrhosis, but also help identify translational biomarkers using a cutting-edge approach called single-cell RNA sequencing to accelerate the development of future therapies.
Announcing two licensing deals with Swiss pharma giant Novartis AG, Shanghai-based Argo Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd. said on Jan. 7 that it stands to gain up to $4.165 billion for two of its cardiovascular assets combined. Marking the “first significant overseas out-licensing transaction in the RNAi field from a Chinese biotech company,” the deal includes an up-front payment of $185 million from Novartis to Argo.
Shares of Applied Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:APLT) dropped 36% Jan. 5 on news that its oral aldose reductase inhibitor, AT-001 (caficrestat), failed to reach statistical significance in a phase III study in patients with diabetic cardiomyopathy. The New York-based firm, however, pointed to positive trends in the Arise-HF study that could offer a path forward, albeit via a partner.
Cytokinetics Inc. received a slightly last minute Christmas gift in the form of positive top-line data from the pivotal phase III study of aficamten in treating symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
In a deal that could bring Avidity Biosciences Inc. $2.3 billion if all milestones are met, Bristol Myers Squibb Co. gained global rights to Avidity’s antibody oligonucleotide conjugates platform to advance up to five genetic cardiovascular targets. Avidity’s technology, which combines the specificity of monoclonal antibodies with the precision of oligonucleotide therapies, aims to address the root cause of diseases that are untreatable with current RNA therapeutics. Its lead internal programs are based on the targeted delivery of RNA into muscle.
More details of Novo Nordisk A/S’ phase III Select trial indicate that risk reductions in major adverse cardiovascular events were achieved regardless of age, gender, ethnicity and starting body mass index when obese and overweight patients were treated with Wegovy (semaglutide, 2.4 mg). Statistical significance was seen, however, only with the reduction of heart attacks and not other measures that were part of the trial.
For Verve Therapeutics Inc., the good news was the first human proof-of-concept data for a single-course in vivo base-editing treatment, presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions over the weekend, showed treatment with VERVE-101 led to promising dose-dependent reductions in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. The bad news was to be found in the safety data for the 10 patients treated to date, which included a myocardial infarction in one patient deemed potentially related to treatment.
South Korea’s Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceuticals Corp. said that it struck a deal potentially worth $1.3 billion with Swiss pharma giant Novartis AG for its CKD-510 candidate for neurological and cardiovascular diseases, propelling its shares upward 26.11% by market closing of Nov. 6. With the “largest ever” deal in its history, shares of the Seoul-based pharmaceutical (KOSPI:185750) on the Korea Exchange rose by 26.11%, or ₩26,500, closing at ₩128,000 ($98.70).
RSS
