Sanofi SA will not seek approval of amlitelimab in atopic dermatitis (AD) as previously planned, stating that the OX40-ligand monoclonal antibody “would not represent a meaningful improvement to the standard of care” for patients with moderate to severe disease. The company said the decision, which marks an about-face as Sanofi had been looking to amlitelimab as a possible successor to its Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.-partnered blockbuster AD drug Dupixent (dupilumab), comes as part of an ongoing assessment of the pipeline.

Wall Street is sifting data to figure out what Celldex Inc.’s phase II failure with KIT inhibitor barzolvolimab (barzo) in prurigo nodularis (PN) might mean for the upcoming phase III readout with the same drug in chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU).

Rinascera Therapeutics Inc. has secured enough initial funding to acquire two drugs for rare genetic skin diseases, despite stalled development with their previous owners. The company, whose name comes from the Latin root renasci – to be born again, was incubated by Olive Tree Capital, which led the seed round with participation from Civilization Ventures and Toba Capital.

The clinically proven promise of an alopecia drug, without the risks of black box-bearing JAK inhibitors yet with powerful efficacy, led shares of Q32 Bio Inc. (NASDAQ:QTTB) to close July 13 at $21.38, up $10.17, or 90.7%.

Tvardi Therapeutics Inc. rebounded from a phase II blowup last fall in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) with oral STAT3 inhibitor TTI-101 by showing that a next-gen phosphate prodrug dubbed TTI-109 kept its potency in phase I without gastrointestinal (GI) troubles.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s oral TYK2 inhibitor zasocitinib (TAK-279) demonstrated statistical superiority over Bristol Myers Squibb Co.’s first-in-class Sotyktu (deucravacitinib) in a top-line phase III Latitude Atlas readout of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

Dermasensor Inc. received CE mark approval for its handheld skin cancer detection device using spectroscopy and AI to test suspicious skin lesions for cancer in real time at the point of care. The device is designed to help qualified healthcare professionals decide whether suspicious skin lesions need further investigation. With skin cancer rates rising, the Dermasensor joins several other AI-based tools entering the European market to help with the analysis of suspicious lesions.

Turn Therapeutics Inc. made public strongly positive findings from an interim analysis that involves the first 50 subjects in the ongoing phase II atopic dermatitis (AD) trial with IL-36 inhibitor GX-03.

Apogee Therapeutics Inc. loaded up on what could total as much as $1.3 billion in financial fuel from Blackstone Life Sciences funds that will be used to propel zumilokibart (zumi), which yielded positive phase II results in atopic dermatitis (AD). A phase III experiment with the anti-IL-13 antibody is planned for the second half of this year, pending talks with regulators.

Scientists at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology have identified and characterized human antibodies that neutralize the measles virus by blocking its entry into the cell. This is the first time that antibodies have been shown to bind effectively to two essential viral proteins, creating a dual blockade that prevents infection. Unlike the current vaccine, which is based on an attenuated virus and is not recommended for immunocompromised individuals, these monoclonal antibodies could be used both as a new vaccine approach and as a treatment for the entire population.