Forcefield Therapeutics Ltd. has arrived on the scene with £5.5 million (US$7 million) in funding to advance development of naturally occurring proteins that have been shown to arrest the loss of cardiomyocytes in the immediate aftermath of myocardial infarction.
Windtree Therapeutics Inc.’s positive top-line data from the phase II study called Seismic, testing istaroxime in cardiogenic shock (CS), a form of sudden heart failure (HF), add “a lot of interesting strategies and options” with the compound, also in development for acute HF, said CEO Craig Fraser.
Astrazeneca plc and Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. have unveiled some eye-catching figures from their cholesterol drug, AZD-8233, in a phase IIb trial, taking aim at the PCSK9 inhibitor market where Novartis AG, Sanofi SA/Regeneron Inc. and Amgen Inc. are vying for supremacy.
Pharmaceutical agents took center stage in Washington on the first full day of the 2022 scientific sessions of the American College of Cardiology, such as an April 2 presentation on the use of the mavacamten for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (OHC). Milind Desai of the Cleveland Clinic said 16-week data for this cardiac myosin inhibitor showed well in reducing heart failure class status, but there are data arising from studies in China which suggest that radiofrequency (RF) ablation might also work for these patients.
Salubris Biotherapeutics Inc. has raised $32 million in financing from its parent company, Shenzhen Salubris Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., for the development of its cardiovascular candidate. Funds will be used to continue efforts in an ongoing phase Ib trial and to initiate two additional phase Ib studies in 2022, as well as to expand the company’s pipeline.
The U.S. Federal Circuit’s denial Feb. 11 of an en banc rehearing in a case that could undermine label carveouts and slow the launch of generics is the topic of hallway chatter at this week’s annual conference of the Association for Accessible Medicines.
Cincor Pharma Inc.’s IPO at the start of the year underlined hopes for a new way to attack treatment-resistant hypertension and related diseases, as the Boston-based firm touted what one analyst called it ‘pipeline in a pill,” CIN-107, which selectively targets aldosterone synthase to lower aldosterone levels, in turn knocking down blood pressure.
Astrazeneca plc has announced two significant R&D deals with Scorpion Therapeutics Inc. and Benevolentai Ltd., which it hopes will sharpen its research into cancer, lupus and heart failure. Both of the deals involve artificial intelligence (AI) as a way to increase the probability of success during the clinical development process and reduce the chances of costly trial failures.
Astrazeneca plc’s recently acquired Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. has signed a deal worth up to $760 million with Neurimmune AG, the Swiss biotech that discovered Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm (aducanumab), buying rights to amyloidosis drug NI-006. While Biogen Inc.’s Aduhelm targets amyloid plaques thought to cause Alzheimer’s in the brain, the phase Ib drug in Alexion’s deal is intended to tackle the build-up of the rogue protein that causes heart disease caused by transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM).
Top-line results from Bridgebio Pharma Inc.’s ongoing phase III study of acoramidis are no holiday gift for the company. The clinical trial for treating symptomatic transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy missed its primary endpoint. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company’s stock (NASDAQ:BBIO) plunged on the news as shares closed 72% lower Dec. 27 at $11.38 each.
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