Hope Medicine Inc. reported positive interim results for monoclonal antibody HMI-115 in a phase II endometriosis trial that saw the mean non-menstrual pelvic pain score reduced by 50%. “HMI-115 is a prolactin receptor blocker, and we're using it to treat endometriosis and some other diseases. It is a first-in-class new mechanism to treat endometriosis,” Hope Medicine CEO Nathan Chen told BioWorld.

Biopharma deals and M&A activity in 2024 continued to surge past the last two years, with deal value in the first three quarters jumping 14.5% year-over-year. The total climbed from $130.38 billion through 3Q23 to an impressive $149.24 billion so far in 2024, the highest value in the first nine months of a year, according to BioWorld’s records. Q3 alone saw $49.81 billion in deals, following a strong Q2 at $55.26 billion. Meanwhile, M&As skyrocketed 75.5% in 2024, hitting $98.02 billion, up from $55.82 billion during the first nine months of last year.

In September 2024, BioWorld recorded 252 clinical trial updates, up from 92 in August, due in part to news from the European Society for Cardiology Congress, the IASCLC World Conference on Lung Cancer and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, among others. The month included 35 successful phase III trial updates and four failures.

Visterra Inc., a subsidiary of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., reported positive top-line data from the ongoing Visionary phase III study of sibeprenlimab, an anti-APRIL monoclonal antibody for immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN).

Regenerative medicine company Orthocell Ltd. raised AU$17 million (US$11.28 million) to launch its nerve repair product, Remplir, in the $1.6 billion U.S. market.