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.

Just over a year since the last anti-nerve growth factor (NGF) antibody program was axed, the target is poised for a revival, with Levicept Ltd. announcing it has completed recruitment to a phase II trial of LEVI-04 in the control of chronic pain caused by osteoarthritis.

Instead of the two-step process that’s been the typical path for interchangeables in the U.S., Amgen Inc.’s Wezlana got a green light Oct. 31 from the FDA as both the first approved biosimilar and interchangeable to Johnson & Johnson’s inflammatory disease drug, Stelara (ustekinumab).

Peel Therapeutics believes evolutionary biology holds the key to developing new therapeutics for cancer and inflammation, a relatively unique approach in the world of biotech, but one that is bearing fruit: Its lead molecule is derived from camptothecin, a compound originating from the Chinese Happy Tree that is thought to have evolved as a plant defense mechanism, and it has progressed to a phase I dose escalation study in patients with advanced solid tumors.

A six-week treatment regimen of Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals Ltd.’s Zilosul (injectable pentosan polysulfate/iPPS) resulted in improvement of both the symptoms of osteoarthritis and preserved or regenerated joint tissues in the knee, according to phase II trial results.

South Korean pharmaceutical firms LG Chem Ltd. and JW Pharmaceutical Corp. are recouping and pressing on with their respective novel gout drugs internationally, with each having faced regulatory setbacks from IND rejections overseas.

With a U.S. biotech identified as One Bio, Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has inked an out-licensing deal potentially worth $1.05 billion for its asthma and chronic sinusitis-targeting drug, SHR-1905. The latest deal gives One Bio exclusive rights to develop, produce and commercialize SHR-1905 worldwide, excluding the greater China territory.