DUBLIN – Abivax SA has started planning for a pivotal phase III program for its inflammatory bowel disease drug candidate, ABX-464, following a readout of top-line data from a phase IIb induction study in ulcerative colitis, in which the molecule attained the primary endpoint at all three dose levels tested. It demonstrated efficacy on a range of secondary endpoints, too, while its safety profile also appeared to be favorable.
Missing the primary endpoint in a phase IIb study of aldafermin for treating nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has caused NGM Biopharmaceuticals Inc. to halt the program’s development while rattling the company’s share value. But the failure didn’t stop there as other NASH therapy developers felt the reverberations. South Francisco-based NGM’s stock (NASDAQ:NGM) took a battering May 24 as shares closed down 40.77% at $16.81 each. Others in the NASH space rocked by NGM’s negative data on the day included San Francisco-based 89bio Inc., which is prepping BIO89-100, a glycopegylated FGF21 analogue for a phase IIb NASH study. 89bio’s stock (NASDAQ:ETNB) plunged 14.24% to close at $19.40 per share.
New and updated preclinical and clinical data presented by biopharma firms at Digestive Disease Week, including: 4D Pharma, Abbvie, Axcella, BMS, Eli Lilly, Ferring, Redhill, Seres, Surrozen.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Akeso, Biomarin, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Cansino, Kancera, Glenmark, J&J, Merck & Co., Regeneron, Scopus, Verastem.
Biopharma happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Boehringer Ingelheim, Creative Medical Technology, Dicerna, Hepalink, Mindmed, Moderna, Nextage, Novavax, Pulthera, Resverlogix, Samsung, SK Group, Stemedica, Strongbridge, Synairgen, Xeris.
The FDA’s approval for Johnson & Johnson (J&J) of Rybrevant (amivantamab-vmjw) not only brings the first treatment for adults with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors bear EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations, but also sets a high overall response rate bar for other developers in the space.