Any lingering disappointment in the delay for Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s readout of the phase III X-Tole2 study testing azetukalner in focal onset seizures (FOS) appeared thoroughly extinguished as the company’s K_V7 potassium channel opener yielded better-than-expected data, even besting earlier phase IIb findings and positioning the drug for an NDA submission later this year.

Dysregulation of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway is frequently observed across a wide range of cancers and contributes to uncontrolled cell proliferation, enhanced cellular metabolism, and tumor progression.

On the heels of China’s approval of Sino Biopharmaceutical Ltd.’s rovadicitinib, Sanofi SA is now inlicensing the first-in-class dual JAK/ROCK inhibitor in a deal worth more than $1.4 billion.

Can-Fite Biopharma Ltd.’s namodenoson met the safety endpoint in its phase IIa open-label study in advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients, a readout that left investors hopeful for survival data, expected to be disclosed later this year.

Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) is an epigenetic regulator that promotes transcription of oncogenic drivers such as MYC and contributes to tumor growth and therapy resistance in colorectal cancer, making it a promising therapeutic target. Researchers from Hangzhou Kexing Biochem Co. Ltd. described the discovery and preclinical characterization of compound [I], a potent BRD4 inhibitor.

In an all-cash transaction valued at €780 million (US$920 million), Asahi Kasei Corp. offered to buy Aicuris Anti-infective Cures AG, expanding its infectious disease portfolio with a marketed cytomegalovirus product and a herpes treatment nearing an NDA.

Oddsmakers wasted no time figuring the market chances after Merck & Co. Inc. rolled out data from the phase III Litespark-011 study testing its oral hypoxia-inducible factor-2 alpha (HIF-2α) inhibitor, Welireg (belzutifan), when used with tyrosine kinase inhibitor Lenvima (lenvatinib, Eisai Co.) in advanced renal cell carcinoma.

China’s National Medical Products Administration has approved Sino Biopharmaceutical Ltd.’s rovadicitinib, branded as Anxu, for first-line treatment of adults with intermediate- or high-risk primary myelofibrosis, as well as post polycythemia vera myelofibrosis or post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis.

Another phase III failure of Theravance Biopharma Inc.’s norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor ampreloxetine to treat symptomatic neurogenic orthostatic hypotension, this time in patients with the rare disease multiple system atrophy, means the end of the company’s R&D efforts. Cutting its workforce in half and terminating all development of ampreloxetine, its only pipeline product, the Dublin-based company’s shares (NASDAQ:TBPH) sank by 26%, or $4.99, to close March 3 at $13.96.