The U.K. government has doubled the rate that pharmaceutical companies must repay on sales of branded drugs, under the statutory rebate scheme, to a record 31.3%. Only 1-2% of total sales of branded drugs fall under the statutory scheme, but the increase is seen as a sign that an ongoing review of the voluntary scheme is not going well.
Mosanna Therapeutics secured $80 million in a series A round to develop MOS-118 as a treatment for the nearly 1 billion people globally with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The company has completed the formulation work to make the drug into a nasal spray and the initial proof-of-concept animal studies and is now ready to enter clinical trials in patients with OSA.
When it comes to the U.S. biopharma market, pricing seems to be the driving focus of most congressional conversations – and government contracts. Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ore., hit pause on that conversation at a June 11 House subcommittee hearing on the drug supply chain, when he asked if the U.S. is sacrificing security for price.
Philochem AG’s ligand-targeting approach drew to the table Bristol Myers Squibb Co. in a potential $1.35 billion agreement granting BMS subsidiary Rayzebio Inc. exclusive worldwide rights to OncoACP3, a diagnostic and therapeutic candidate targeting prostate cancer.
Deep Apple Therapeutics Inc. could bring in as much as $812 million in a new collaboration and license deal with Novo Nordisk A/S. The total includes an unspecified up-front payment, research costs and milestones. The two plan to develop and commercialize oral small molecules for non-incretin G-protein coupled receptor targets for treating cardiometabolic diseases, including obesity, a core specialty for Novo Nordisk.
3Sbio Inc. reported interim phase II study results of its PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody, SSGJ-707 – a “fabulous” asset, according to Pfizer Inc. CEO Albert Bourla, that landed in Pfizer’s cancer arsenal via a potential $6 billion deal in May, of which $1.2 billion was paid up front.
Three months after dosing the first patient with its dual vector gene therapy, Splicebio SL has closed a $135 million series B to fund the phase I/II trial of SB-007 in the treatment of Stargardt’s disease to completion. Other adeno-associated viru gene therapies for the inherited retinal disorder have entered the clinic, but SB-007 is the first with the capacity to deliver a full version of the ABCA4 gene that underlies Stargardt’s.
Ascletis Pharma Inc.’s once-daily oral fatty acid synthase inhibitor, denifanstat, demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements compared to placebo, meeting all primary and secondary endpoints in a phase III trial for moderate to severe acne vulgaris.
Ligachem Biosciences Inc. signed two license agreements with Novarock Biotherapeutics Inc., a subsidiary of CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Ltd., to bring in two of Novarock’s antibodies and create antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidates with novel cancer targets.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Alnylam, Axsome, George Medicines, Italfarmaco, Lipocine, Tuhura, Verity.
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