A phase IIb trial of nangibotide in septic shock has demonstrated preliminary signs of efficacy in a subset of biomarker-defined patients and provided its developer, Inotrem SA, with a dataset that will inform the design of a registration program for the drug. Subject to agreement from regulatory agencies, the company aims to move the triggering receptor on myeloid cells 1 inhibitor into a first phase III trial in early 2024. “We should have a clearer picture by the beginning of the second next year,” CEO Sven Zimmermann told BioWorld.
Relmada Therapeutics Inc. is scratching its collective chin as it sifts through data from the failed phase III Reliance III study of REL-1017 (esmethadone) in treating major depressive disorder (MDD). A higher-than-expected placebo response, however, prompted the company to label the study’s results as “paradoxical.”
Positive phase I data from Dice Therapeutics Inc. with DC-806 in psoriasis sent shares (NASDAQ:DICE) on a wild ride, closing at $40, up $15.35, or 62%, on Oct. 11, 2022, and bolstered the case for oral drugs in psoriasis – an increasingly busy indication where discouraged patients often find themselves switching between therapies.
NMD Pharma A/S has announced top-line results showing its orally available ion channel inhibitor, NMD-670, has a positive clinical impact in myasthenia gravis (MG), with patients having stronger hand grip and improvements in quantitative MG scores.
The next stop for Albireo Pharma Inc. is chats with the U.S. FDA and the EMA following positive phase III data for Bylvay (odevixibat) in treating the rare disease Alagille syndrome. Should Bylvay, a nonsystemic ileal bile acid transport inhibitor, be approved for the indication, it would be the second approval. It was greenlighted by the FDA in 2021 for treating pruritus in progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis.
A new analysis of Actinogen Medical Ltd.’s phase II Xanadu trial showed that in biomarker-positive patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease there was a clear clinical effect with lead compound Xanamem not seen in the earlier trial.
The closely watched pivotal phase III trial called Stellar by Merck & Co. Inc. with sotatercept delivered in a big way for the company, helping to validate the firm’s $11.5 billion buyout about a year ago of Acceleron Pharma Inc.
Despite clinical responses undermining expectations for the placebo arm of its phase III Alzheimer's disease (AD) study, Lucidity, Taurx Pharmaceuticals Ltd. executives Oct. 6 said they still see the data as supporting their ability to pursue regulatory submissions for hydromethylthionine mesylate (HMTM), an oral tau aggregation inhibitor. For people with mild cognitive impairment especially, they said, "HMTM treatment resulted in sustained improvement in cognition over pretreatment baseline, and normalization of brain atrophy to a rate similar to healthy individuals."
Connect Biopharma Holding Ltd.’s IL-4Rα binding candidate, CBP-201, yielded positive data in a pivotal trial in patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis in China, positioning the company to engage with Chinese regulators in the next several months to discuss a potential NDA filing.
Biocryst Pharmaceuticals Inc. caught some industry observers by surprise early in 2022 when it upped its peak sales estimate for Orladeyo (berotralstat), its oral therapy for prevention of hereditary angioedema attacks, from $500 million to $1 billion. But blockbuster status appears more attainable following the latest setback from a potential competitor, as safety concerns prompted Kalvista Pharmaceuticals Inc. management to ax its phase II study testing KVD-824 in prevention of HAE attacks.