Getting revolutionary genetic medicines to the right place is the reason Genedit Inc. was created, and CEO Kunwoo Lee pared down the mission in one word. “Delivery, delivery, delivery,” Lee told BioWorld in describing the goal of Genedit’s Nanogalaxy platform that is focused on delivering genetic medicines into select tissue. Privately held Genedit will work with Genentech to find and develop hydrophilic nanoparticles for creating nucleic acid-based drugs to treat autoimmune diseases. Genedit is getting $15 million up front in a new deal that could bring in up to $629 million in near-term, preclinical and clinical development, commercial and net sales milestones.
Stalicla SA announced the first close of a series B round at $17.4 million, which provides the means to complete preparations for both a phase III trial of the lead program, STP-7, in the treatment of cocaine misuse disorder, and of a phase II trial of STP-1 in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
After the U.S. FDA granted clearance in March 2023, sales began promptly of Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s new Rett syndrome therapy, Daybue (trofinetide), and questions during the recent J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco had to do with – among other matters – sales guidance from the firm, which is hardly alone in seeking treatments for the disease. Other players include Anavex Life Sciences Corp., Neurogene Inc. and Taysha Gene Therapies Inc.
The U.S. FDA issued a complete response letter to Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories Ltd.’s U.S. subsidiary, Satsuma Pharmaceuticals Inc., for its NDA for dihydroergotamine nasal powder (STS-101) for acute treatment of migraine, with or without aura, in adults. Shin Nippon acquired Satsuma for $220 million in April 2023 and gained rights to STS-101.
Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. took to the stage this week at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference to talk up its pipeline, including the phase III program testing XEN-1101 in focal-onset seizures (FOS), due to complete enrollment in the second half of this year. It’s an indication where such other players as Biohaven Ltd. are busy, too. Several million adults are afflicted with FOS in the U.S., with close to a half-million pediatric patients.
Boston-based Praxis Precision Medicines Inc.’s shares rose nearly 25% on Jan. 8 after it announced a pipeline update and licensing deal for its tremor drug, ulixacaltamide (PRAX-944), with Shanghai’s Tenacia Biotechnology Co. Ltd.
Eisai Co. Ltd. and Oita University in Oita Prefecture, Japan, developed a first-of-its-kind machine learning model to predict amyloid beta accumulation in the brain using a wristband sensor. The model, which collects biological and lifestyle data from daily life, is expected to enable screening for brain amyloid beta accumulation to identify those at risk for Alzheimer's disease, particularly because amyloid beta begins to accumulate in the brain about 20 years before the onset of the disease.
Kynexis BV recently launched with a series A of €57 million (US$62 million) and a lead asset, Kyn-5356, that targets the kynurenine pathway. The company is preparing for clinical trials that will test the compound for the treatment of cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia.
Newron Pharmaceuticals SpA has reported what it claims are “exceptional” results in the 12-month analysis of a phase II open-label trial of evenamide in treatment-resistant schizophrenia. The glutamate modulator produced benefits “of a kind that have never been reported before,” the company said.
Anavex Life Sciences Corp.’s stock (NASDAQ:AVXL) sunk 35% on Jan. 2 after a phase II/III study failure in Rett syndrome but posted a next-day rebound of 8% on Jan. 3 with shares closing at $6.53 each. Top-line data from the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the company’s lead asset, Anavex 2-73 (blarcamesine), showed improvement but did not reach statistical significance on the co-primary endpoint, the Rett Syndrome Behaviour Questionnaire.
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