Clinical updates for biopharma and med tech, including data readouts and publications: Aardvark, Abbvie, Bayer, Bioxytran, Celldex, Cogent, DBV, Longbio, Merck, Opus, Rhythm, Roche, Septerna, United, Upstream.
Biopharma and med-tech companies raising money in public or private financings, including: Beone, Defence, Edison, Jazz, Royalty, Sharp, Telo Genomics, Zymeworks.
Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. will get to take its argument for twice-rejected jet lag disorder drug Hetlioz (tasimelteon) before the U.S. FDA in a formal evidentiary public hearing, a rare move by the agency that the firm claims underscores the “gravity of the legal and scientific issues” it has raised.
Oddsmakers wasted no time figuring the market chances after Merck & Co. Inc. rolled out data from the phase III Litespark-011 study testing its oral hypoxia-inducible factor-2 alpha (HIF-2α) inhibitor, Welireg (belzutifan), when used with tyrosine kinase inhibitor Lenvima (lenvatinib, Eisai Co.) in advanced renal cell carcinoma.
Quell Therapeutics Ltd. has delivered the first clinical data indicating its chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T regulatory cell therapy, QEL-001, can enable liver transplant patients to be weaned off long-term immunosuppression.
China’s National Medical Products Administration has approved Sino Biopharmaceutical Ltd.’s rovadicitinib, branded as Anxu, for first-line treatment of adults with intermediate- or high-risk primary myelofibrosis, as well as post polycythemia vera myelofibrosis or post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis.
Radnet Inc. acquired Gleamer SAS for up to €230 million (US$267 million) as it continues to expand its position across imaging and acute diagnostic care, while accelerating its move toward AI-powered automated diagnostics. Gleamer will be integrated into Radnet’s subsidiary, Deephealth Inc., strengthening its imaging portfolio, and positioning the company as the world’s largest provider of radiology clinical AI solutions.
Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH is stopping development of OSE Immunotherapeutics SA’s BI-770371 in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), after the SIRPα antagonist failed to show efficacy in a phase II study. Codevelopment of BI-770371 will continue for oncology indications, however, which was the initial target of the duo’s €1.4 billion (US$1.6 million) partnership in 2018.
A lot of distance lies between talking regulatory flexibility and actually being flexible. That message was driven home again after Uniqure NV disclosed in its latest earnings report March 2 that the U.S. FDA wants a sham-controlled study before it will consider approval of the company’s gene therapy AMT-130 in Huntington’s, a rare disease currently affecting about 41,000 people in the U.S.
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-cells-in-blood-flow.webp?height=488&t=1772563584&width=650 "Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) cells in blood flow")
