Probably no one was surprised by the FDA’s recent nod for the combination of Alameda, Calif.-based Exelixis Inc.’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor, Cabometyx (cabozantinib), which targets MET, AXL and VEGF, and PD-1 drug Opdivo (nivolumab) from Bristol Myers Squibb Co. as a first-line treatment for advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), but investors may feel less confident about the odds for the pairing in a competitive space.
Questions about the price tag, the extent of diligence done on intellectual property, and the staying power of Epidiolex (cannabidiol) as well as the potential of other prospects in the acquiree’s pipeline bubbled up during the conference call related to Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc’s whopping takeover of GW Pharmaceuticals plc.
Less than a month after informing the market of a slowdown caused by pandemic-related site closures in phase II studies with neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn)-targeting IMVT-1401, Immunovant Inc. said it’s voluntarily pausing dosing with the compound in thyroid eye disease (TED) in the study called Ascend Go-2 because of a worrisome physiological signal. The New York-based firm plans to investigate and, after seeking the FDA’s go-ahead on tweaks to the program, forge onward with development.
Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp.’s failure last December in the phase III study called Recovery with TNX-102 SL (cyclobenzaprine HCl sublingual tablets) 5.6 mg dented hopes for patients with civilian and military-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but other developers remain in the game.
Innate Pharma SA’s unexpected return to partner Astrazeneca plc all rights, in the U.S. and EU, to Lumoxiti (moxetumomab pasudotox-tdfk) for hairy cell leukemia likely triggered unease in at least some investors.
Phase II data with San Diego-based Heron Therapeutics Inc.’s pain drug HTX-011 (Zynrelef) graced the online pages of the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association in early January, whetting investor thirst for an FDA decision regarding approval, slated by May 12. And the agency’s go-ahead, if it comes, could have special meaning for Pacira Biosciences Inc. with competing analgesic Exparel (bupivacaine).
Boston-based Nirogy Therapeutics Inc.’s $16.5 million series A round is meant to enable a pipeline of small-molecule drugs targeting the solute carrier family of transporter proteins (SLCTs) embedded in the cell membrane, and let the firm bring its front oncology runner to the clinic in 2022.
Tscan Therapeutics Inc. CEO David Southwell told BioWorld that his firm’s series C financing of $100 million will allow two IND filings in liquid tumors this year and three – possibly more – in solid tumors starting next year. “We’ll be filing a lot of INDs in solid tumors,” he said. The Waltham, Mass.-based firm works with T-cell receptor-engineered T-cell therapies.
At the recent 39th J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, Biomarin Pharmaceutical Inc. popped the lid off top-line results from its ongoing phase III GENEr8-1 study with valoctocogene roxaparvovec – also known as valrox, now commonly called Roctavian. Data, though encouraging, may not have quelled controversy around the prospect.
With worrisome COVID-19 variants cropping up, developers including the likes of Gritstone Oncology Inc. and Vir Biotechnology Inc. continue their efforts to invent new vaccines that may get around the drawbacks of existing shots if they turn up.
