Scientists from the Australian National University have discovered the gene mutation responsible for causing psoriasis, and the findings could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment for patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease. “We were able to identify the gene that could be important in enabling this progression from a skin-only condition to a skin-and-joint condition,” lead study author Chelisa Cardinez told BioWorld.
Nearly a year after Prometheus Biosciences Inc. sold for $10.8 billion to Merck & Co. Inc., its former CEO, Mark McKenna, is back in the game with Mirador Therapeutics Inc. Many of his former Prometheus colleagues have joined McKenna. Getting the band back together, McKenna told BioWorld, “is the ultimate compliment.” Mirador just launched with more than $400 million to develop therapies for treating immune-mediated inflammatory and fibrotic diseases.
Nine-year-old IFM Therapeutics LLC has notched yet another big deal as Novartis AG will acquire all the outstanding capital stock of IFM Due Inc., a subsidiary of privately held IFM in an agreement that began five years ago. The newest deal brings IFM $90 million up front and makes it eligible for up to $745 million in milestone payments for a deal value of $835 million.
Wegovy (semaglutide) has racked up another indication. The U.S. FDA approved the injectable for reducing risk of major adverse cardiovascular events such as death, heart attack or stroke and for long-term weight management. The approval expands the drug’s potential. The mighty glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist from Novo Nordisk A/S was already approved for those age 12 and older who are obese and for some overweight adults with weight-related problems.
Apogee Therapeutics Inc.’s phase I home run put IL-13-targeting antibody APG-777 on an accelerated development path in atopic dermatitis, and the company touted its similarity to further-along IL-13 competitor lebrikizumab, from Eli Lilly and Co., as a likely indicator of further success.
OSE Immunotherapeutics SA disclosed a $713 million deal with Abbvie Inc. for preclinical-stage monoclonal antibody OSE-230, a potentially first-in-class therapy for treating a range of inflammatory diseases, while Idorsia Ltd. found a partner for two phase III-stage assets in Viatris Inc., as dealmaking continues strong in 2024.
Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. inked deals with Shattuck Labs Inc. and Numab Therapeutics AG aimed at bolstering its pipeline in oncology and autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Ono struck a drug discovery collaboration and option agreement with Shattuck Labs to generate bifunctional fusion proteins for pathways involved in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. It also signed a global research, development and commercialization deal with Numab for its NM-49, a multispecific antibody designed to activate tumor-associated macrophage phagocytosis for treating cancers.
Halia Therapeutics Inc. has, its CEO confidently asserts, taken an atypical road to building its infrastructure and financing. The Lehi, Utah-based company just completed a $30 million series C financing to further develop its lead asset, a selective and orally bioavailable first-in-class NLRP3/NEK7 inflammasome inhibitor.
Current risk genes for some diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) may have emerged in the past as protection against infection by different pathogens. A group of researchers led by scientists from the University of Copenhagen has analyzed the ancient DNA of European populations and has revealed how MS, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and diabetes arose as populations migrated. This evolution would explain the modern genetic diversity and the incidences of these pathologies observed today in the old continent.
Taiwan’s Caliway Biopharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. said it secured more than $100 million in an oversubscribed capital raise to advance CBL-514, its lead asset for subcutaneous fat reduction nearing phase III studies.