Biopharma happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Cyclo, Liquidia, Oblique, Pharmadrug, Pharmather, Rafael Holdings, Sairiyo, United.
Researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) in Melbourne have discovered new cells that drive the aging process in the thymus that could unlock a way to restore function and prevent immunity from waning as we age. The thymus is the first organ in the body to shrink as people age. As this happens, the T-cell growth areas in the thymus are replaced with fatty tissue, diminishing T-cell production and contributing to a weakened immune system.
Scientists at Harvard Medical School have shown that in mice lacking amyloid beta (Aβ), the fundamental hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), neurons died from the effect of the most harmful mutation of this neurodegenerative disease. They showed that presenilin (PS) could be behind the origin of the disease without the need for Aβ. They maintain that it is time to update theories and redirect efforts.
In July 2024, BioWorld reported on 121 clinical trial updates, down from 221 covered in June. The month saw 17 successful phase III trials, alongside four unsuccessful cancer trials.
The ever-contentious issue of drug pricing creates a tug-of-war between biopharma’s innovation machine and the general population’s need for accessible and affordable drugs. BioWorld has covered the issue of drug pricing from insulin caps and the early days of the IRA to failed legal challenges and the recent rollout of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ negotiated prices. Read our collection of 2024 stories.
With biopharma IPO volume at a 10-year low, two companies are bucking the trend with plans to plunge into the public market. Bifunctional antibody drug developers Bicara Therapeutics Inc. and Zenas Biopharma Inc. have filed with the SEC to go public though neither has named share-price ranges.
The long struggle by Boston-based I2o Therapeutics Inc.’s business unit Intarcia Therapeutics to get long-lasting exenatide for diabetes onto the market ended with a final thumbs-down from the U.S. FDA because of safety concerns. At issue was ITCA-650, a twice-yearly implantable exenatide-device combo meant to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Bristol Myers, Lexicon, Regeneron.
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