A metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) trial once expected to pave a path to registration for the Calithera Biosciences Inc. candidate telaglenastat failed to show a benefit from the drug in a new analysis of the pivotal phase II study, Cantata. While company executives voiced confidence in the drug's prospects in another indication, non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), analyst and investor faith appeared less sturdy, as company shares (NASDAQ:CALA) fell 44.6% to $2.72 on Jan. 4.
Sutro Biopharma Inc.’s stock-perking news in early December with STRO-002, a folate receptor alpha-targeting antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) to treat ovarian cancer, reminded investors of potential in the class, which has been more than realized in recent years and could yield more upside in the near term. As of the Oct. 30 cutoff date, STRO-002 tallied one complete response and nine partial responses in the challenging indication, which works out to an overall response rate of 32% (10 out of 31) in evaluable patients.
Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Axsome, Direct Biologics, Lexicon, Netris, Redhill.
Results of a futility analysis prompted Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. to continue the phase III study of its virus-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies, a REGN-10933 and REGN-10987 cocktail for treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients who are seronegative and need low-flow oxygen.
HONG KONG – China National Biotec Group (CNBG) said that BBIBP-CorV, one of the two COVID-19 vaccines it currently has under development, provides 79.34% protection against the coronavirus. Volunteers who received the vaccine in the phase III experiment produced high-tier antibodies, with a neutralizing antibody positive conversion rate of 99.52% after two doses, the company said.
Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Altimmune, Chiesi, Codiak, Emergent, Hepion, Lipocine, Neurorx, Nicox, Protalix, Regeneron, Sinopharm.
Hopes continue to rise as the COVID-19 vaccine beat goes on and Operation Warp Speed (OWS) lives up to its name, with Moderna Inc. netting another U.S. Department of Defense contract worth about $1.97 billion for another 100 million doses – an order that brings to about $6 billion the company’s government contracts for the product, which was granted emergency use authorization (EUA) earlier this month.
Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Actinium, Arcturus, Intra-Cellular, Nanology, VBL.
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