With one of the higher series A rounds for 2023, the newly launched Aiolos Bio Inc. pulled in $245 million to advance its lead product, AIO-001, an anti-thymic stromal lymphopoietin monoclonal antibody set to enter a phase II trial for moderate to severe asthma.
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.
Shares in Galecto Inc. (NASDAQ:GLTO) plummeted by 71%, closing Aug. 15 at 67 cents, on news that its lead drug candidate, GB-0139, flamed out in a phase IIb trial in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The inhaled galectin-3 inhibitor actually performed considerably worse than placebo in the 52-week placebo-controlled study, the endpoint of which was the annual rate of decline from baseline in forced vital capacity (FVC).
With more than 70,000 people living with cystic fibrosis (CF) worldwide, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the introduction of CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulator therapies has revolutionized treatment of the disease. However, these drugs are not effective for around 10% of CF patients, driving a significant unmet therapeutic need. One startup hoping to address this is Anoat Therapeutics.
The notion of taking aim at the galectin pathway across varied therapeutic areas has gained major traction in recent years, with a handful of companies drawing Wall Street’s interest as efforts plow forth in conditions as varied as cancer, liver fibrosis and Alzheimer’s disease.
Artificial intelligence (AI) drug discovery specialist Insilico Medicine Inc. is progressing INS018-055, its lead compound to phase II trials for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease that results in progressive and irreversible decline in lung function.
Newco Glycocore Pharma Srl is setting out to raise €10 million (US$11.2 million) in a series A round to take a novel approach to treating inflammatory respiratory diseases into the clinic, starting with a phase I/Ib trial in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Two biopharma companies entered the public markets on July 14, with Apogee Therapeutics Inc. pricing a $300 million IPO, the second largest U.S. debut this year, and Sagimet Biosciences Inc. raising $85 million. Apogee, of San Francisco, and Waltham, Mass., is advancing APG-777 and APG-808, which are in development for atopic dermatitis (AD) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, while San Mateo, Calif.-based Sagimet’s lead candidate is the FASN inhibitor denifanstat for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.
First Wave Biopharma Inc. is taking apart the top-line data from its phase II study of adrulipase for treating nutrition deficiencies in cystic fibrosis patients and seems unsure exactly what it found. The company said that while the initial data found the enhanced enteric microgranule delivery formulation of adrulipase was safe, well-tolerated and was an improvement over other formulations, the preliminary data also indicate that “it is likely the primary efficacy endpoint was not achieved.”
A tough spring has settled into a cruel summer for Fibrogen Inc. as the company has stumbled for the third time in two months. The newest problem is top-line results showing the phase III Zephyrus-1 study of pamrevlumab, a monoclonal antibody, missed its primary endpoint for treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
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