Despite a phase IIa failure in 2018 for lupus, Biogen Inc. and UCB Inc. maintained their collaboration and now have new positive data for their anti-CD40L candidate. Top-line phase III data show dapirolizumab pegol, along with the standard of care (SOC), met the primary endpoint in demonstrating an improvement in moderate to severe systemic lupus erythematosus compared to placebo and SOC at 48 weeks.
Novartis AG is enlisting the help of Generate:Biomedicines Inc. and its artificial intelligence platform to generate drugs for multiple undisclosed targets. The number of targets and therapeutic areas also weren’t disclosed. Novartis will pick the targets, although the targets Generate has been working on are off limits. Generate will be responsible for creating the lead candidate, at which point Novartis will take over development.
Radiopharmaceutical company Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is continuing its buying spree to shore up dominance in the radiopharmaceutical market with its latest acquisition of RLS Radiopharmacies for $250 million to expand its U.S. manufacturing presence and establish a next-generation radiometal production network.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Antengene, Astrazeneca, Elevation, Innate, Ipsen, Lantern, Leo, Merck & Co., Neuraxpharm, Sanofi, UCB, Uniqure.
Biopharma happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Bioatla, Context, Crown, Glaukos, Nicox, Revance.
Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Assembly, Astrazeneca, Biocity, Biohaven, Black Diamond, Ideaya, Immusoft, Oryzon, Realta, Repare, Skye, Teva.
When the U.S. FTC filed suit Sept. 20 against the country’s three largest pharmacy benefit managers over their alleged use of rebates to artificially inflate U.S. insulin prices, it also put the three big insulin makers, and other drug manufacturers, on notice that they could be next.