Kura Oncology, Inc. and Kyowa Kirin Co. Ltd.’s selective oral menin inhibitor ziftomenib showed encouraging data across multiple studies, the most encouraging of which were in combination with other standard of care therapies in patients with NPM1-mutant and KMT2A-rearranged  acute myeloid leukemia.

SK Bioscience Co. Ltd. gained approval from the Human Research Ethics Committee in Australia to start phase I/II trials of GBP-560, its mRNA-based vaccine candidate for mosquito-borne Japanese encephalitis virus, with funding from Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.

Recce Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is progressing synthetic antibiotic Recce-327 to pivotal phase III trials in Indonesia for the treatment of diabetic foot infections. The trial, which is assessing Recce-327 as a topical gel (R327G), is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2025, Recce CEO James Graham told BioWorld.

Newron Pharmaceuticals SpA scored €44 million (US$46.26 million) up front in a potential €117 million licensing deal with EA Pharma Co. Ltd. to pad the clinical runway of its late-stage oral schizophrenia asset, evenamide (NW-3509), sending company stock prices up near 20%.

Caliway Biopharmaceuticals’ lipolysis candidate, CBL-514, met all the primary and secondary efficacy endpoints in a phase IIb study for subcutaneous fat reduction, paving the way for the company to begin a global pivotal phase III study in 2025.

Biopharma deal activity in November reached $29.18 billion, up from $22.29 billion in October. Year-to-date deal values have increased 3.6%, from $194.13 billion in the first 11 months of 2023 to $201.19 billion through November this year, overtaking 2023 to be the highest year on record through the month.

Beigene Ltd. struck a global licensing deal with CSPC Zhongqi Pharmaceutical Technology (Shijiazhuang) Co. Ltd. worth up to $1.5 billion for its phase I selective methionine adenosyltransferase 2A (MAT2A) inhibitor, SYH-2039, which is being explored for solid tumors.