Immvention Therapeutix Inc. has entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Novo Nordisk A/S to co-develop oral therapies for sickle cell disease and other chronic conditions.
X-linked sideroblastic anemia (XLSA) is a rare genetic disorder caused by mutations in the ALAS2 gene, which plays a critical role in heme biosynthesis within red blood cells.
Yoltech Therapeutics Co. Ltd. has advanced YOLT-204 into the clinic for the treatment of transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia (TDT). If successful, YOLT-204 may provide an off-the-shelf curative treatment for TDT patients without conditioning chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
About four years after launch, Orna Therapeutics Inc. signed its second major deal, this time validating the lipid nanoparticle delivery technology it acquired through its Renagade Therapeutics Inc. buyout in May 2024, with Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. seeking next-generation approaches for hemoglobinopathies.
2024 was another banner year for GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) on multiple fronts. They continued to expand into new indications, and provide their developers with both rich remuneration and scientific acclamation. There are now seven approved GLP-1RAs. Commercially, the most successful one so far is semaglutide, sold under the brand name Wegovy or Ozempic depending on the indication.
Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s VGT-1849A, a selective antisense oligonucleotide (ASO)-based JAK2 inhibitor, has been awarded orphan drug designation by the FDA for the treatment of polycythemia vera.
At the recently concluded American Society of Hematology meeting, F Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. presented promising results for their next-generation coagulation factor VIIIa (FVIIIa) mimetic bispecific antibody, NXT-007 (RO-7589655), supporting the ongoing phase I/II studies.