Ribomic’s umedaptanib pegol (RBM-007) looks to have some advantages compared to competitors in the achondroplasia space, and the company plans to progress the oligonucleotide-based aptamer that targets anti fibroblast growth factor 2 to phase III trials, Ribomic’s business development head, Kihei Yamashita, told BioWorld.
Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and some other cancers involve dysregulation of the transcription factor E2F, and apoptosis can be induced in those cells by blocking the interaction of the RxL sequence motif in E2F with cyclin A, which leads to hyperactivation of E2F. Researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and collaborators have developed macrocyclic peptides that inhibit this interaction and thereby hyperactivate E2F, leading to anticancer activity in various preclinical systems.
Avixgen Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Dx&Vx Co. Ltd., inked a $360 million license agreement with an unidentified U.S.-based biotechnology company, granting the latter rights to its advanced cell penetrating (ACP) peptide drug delivery platform.
Rates of adverse events (AEs) gave pause to some on Wall Street, and shares of Viking Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) fell 42%, or $17.73, to close Aug. 19 at $24.36 after the firm reported 13-week data from the phase II trial with the oral tablet form of VK-2735, the company's dual agonist of the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptors.
With the U.S. FDA clearance of the sNDA for Wegovy (semaglutide) from Novo Nordisk A/S to treat noncirrhotic metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), Wall Street speculation deepened as to the consequences for Madrigal Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s Rezdiffra (resmetirom), a thyroid hormone receptor-beta (THR-beta) agonist that won the MASH go-ahead last year.
Innogen Pharmaceutical Group announced an $86 million IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that will see the company advance its lead product, Diabegone (efsubaglutide alfa), an ultra-long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist into new global markets for type 2 diabetes as well as other metabolic diseases.
Proteinqure Inc. has received regulatory clearances from the U.FDA and Health Canada to initiate a phase I trial of lead candidate, PQ-203. The trial will begin in Canada and expand to U.S. sites later in 2025. The FDA also granted PQ-203 fast track designation for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).
Innogen Pharmaceutical Group announced an $86 million IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that will see the company advance its lead product, Diabegone (efsubaglutide alfa), an ultra-long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist into new global markets for type 2 diabetes as well as other metabolic diseases.
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s long-awaited business development pact became reality by way of an exclusive global license agreement that could be worth more than $2 billion with CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Ltd., of Shijiazhuang, China, for SYH-2086. The candidate is a preclinical oral, small-molecule glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist and orforglipron derivative.
Spine Biopharma Inc. cited an “inconsistent sham control response” among some of the sites in its phase III study testing SB-01 as an intradiscal treatment for patients with chronic low back pain associated with degenerative disc disease. The study, dubbed MODEL, fell short of statistical significance on pain intensity and pain-related function, despite showing numerical and clinically meaningful improvements.