Despite a phase IIa failure in 2018 for lupus, Biogen Inc. and UCB Inc. maintained their collaboration and now have new positive data for their anti-CD40L candidate. Top-line phase III data show dapirolizumab pegol, along with the standard of care (SOC), met the primary endpoint in demonstrating an improvement in moderate to severe systemic lupus erythematosus compared to placebo and SOC at 48 weeks.
Investigators from Abzyme Therapeutics LLC have hypothesized that inhibiting this pathway in the CNS may prevent tissue damage and cease the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS).
The specter of elevated liver enzymes, a known problem with the drug class, became a topic of talk with regard to Sanofi SA’s tolebrutinib, the central nervous system-penetrating Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor for multiple sclerosis (MS). Meanwhile, another player in the space, Immunic Inc., has caught the eye of Wall Street lately.
Cullinan Therapeutics Inc. has submitted an IND application to the FDA to evaluate its CD19 x CD3 bispecific T-cell engager, CLN-978, for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Three biopharmas debuted on Nasdaq Sept. 13, raising a combined $703 million for two Massachusetts-based companies focused on bifunctional antibodies for autoimmune diseases and cancer, and one Midwestern firm developing peptide therapies for endocrine and metabolic disorders.
TFF Pharmaceuticals Inc. has announced promising preclinical data advancing a multivalent universal influenza vaccine manufactured by its Thin Film Freezing (TFF) technology to protect against seasonal and pandemic viruses.
A drive to overcome the limitations of traditional antibodies led Toronto-based scientists Jean-Philippe Julien and Bebhinn Treanor to work toward discovering a multivalent, multispecific platform to develop therapies that can reach difficult targets. As a result, through the support of VC firm Amplitude Ventures, Radiant Biotherapeutics emerged in 2020 armed with what has become its Multabody platform.
Immunotherapy based on T cells is the vanguard of cancer treatments. Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis have shown that similar approaches using T cells could be applied for treating injuries of the central nervous system (CNS). They reported their findings in Nature on Sept. 4, 2024.
In a deal that brings $60 million in cash and equity up front, plus up to $575 million in milestone payments, Shanghai-based Epimab Biotherapeutics Inc. and San Diego-based Vignette Bio Inc. entered a licensing agreement for Epimab’s BCMA-targeting T-cell engager, EMB-06, for autoimmune disease.
Candid Therapeutics Inc. launched with ex-China control of two bispecific T-cell engager antibodies that it plans to develop for autoimmune diseases. The San Diego-based company will start off with a pocketful of cash, having raised over $370 million for the development of the in-licensed candidates.
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