More than three months ago, investors first learned that ivonescimab, a PD-1/VEGF-targeting bispecific antibody from Summit Therapeutics and Akeso Pharmaceuticals Inc., bested Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in PD-L1-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). At the 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer over the weekend, Summit rolled out detailed data from the phase III Harmoni-2 trial, which included a nearly doubling of progression-free survival for ivonescimab compared to Merck & Co. Inc.’s established blockbuster drug.
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.
Nextpoint Therapeutics Inc. has unveiled NPX-372, a novel T-cell engager for solid tumors. NPX-372 is a CD3 bispecific antibody with unique capabilities to redirect T cell-mediated cytotoxicity toward B7-H7-positive tumors such as colorectal carcinoma, non-small-cell lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma and prostate cancer.
Navigator Medicines Inc. is charting a course through the autoimmune disease drug landscape, having raised $100 million in a series A funding round to advance an OX40 ligand (OX40L)-targeted portfolio licensed from South Korea’s Imbiologics Corp.
Navigator Medicines Inc. is charting a course through the autoimmune disease drug landscape, having raised $100 million in a series A funding round to advance an OX40 ligand (OX40L)-targeted portfolio licensed from South Korea’s Imbiologics Corp.
Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals plc has developed a new and improved version of its bispecific antibody CDX for the treatment of relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia, a subset of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and potentially for conditioning in bone marrow transplantations.
Antibodies targeting cytotoxic T-lymphocyte protein 4 (CLTA-4) have faced challenges due to frequent adverse events and limited efficacy, thus pushing the search for next-generation anti-CTLA-4 antibodies that balance T regulatory cell (Treg) depletion with CD8 T-cell activation for cancer immunotherapy.
Mestag Therapeutics Ltd. has been awarded a £1.5 million ($1.9 million) grant from Innovate UK’s Cancer Therapeutics program to accelerate the development of MST-0300.
Imbiologics Inc. scored a potential ₩430 billion (US$315.5 million) deal with China’s Hangzhou Zhongmei Huadong Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. for Oxtima, an autoimmune disease program with two assets co-developed by Seoul, South Korea-based HK Inno.N Corp.
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