Be it viral, nucleic acid or protein vaccines, recent efforts that led to the first regulatory approvals for not only COVID-19, but also for malaria and respiratory syncytial virus, positioned infectious diseases in the headlines for much of the last four years.
Becoming the first treatment for children ages 1 to 11 with eosinophilic esophagitis (EE), Sanofi SA and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s IL-4/IL-13 inhibitor Dupixent (dupilumab) was cleared by the U.S. FDA on Jan. 25.
Be it viral, nucleic acid or protein vaccines, recent efforts that led to the first regulatory approvals for not only COVID-19, but also for malaria and respiratory syncytial virus, positioned infectious diseases in the headlines for much of the last four years. But despite that attention, or the threat of future pandemics, or the numerous infectious diseases for which there are no preventable vaccines and very little development activity, the level of private and public funding for biopharma companies working in the space is dismal – at least compared with that of oncology products, according to a new analysis report released by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) on Jan. 25.
Setting the tone for the biopharma industry as it enters a new year, the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference (JPM) held each January has once again led to reflections, projections and earnest hopes for improving financial and M&A markets. Despite concerns over valuations, raising money and pricing issues, industry leaders are generally upbeat as the industry moves into 2024. JPM’s Sophie Jones, managing director of health care investment banking, noted in a Jan. 18 webinar sponsored by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization that the conference included more than 700 companies. “It’s morphing now into really the kickoff into everybody’s year.”
Allakos Inc. terminated all development of its lead drug, anti-Siglec-8 antibody lirentelimab (AK-002), and is cutting its workforce in half, following phase II failures for atopic dermatitis and chronic spontaneous urticaria. The San Carlos, Calif.-based company will now focus on phase I trials for anti-Siglec-6 antibody AK-006 as part of a restructuring that stretches the runway into mid-2026. Shares (NASDAQ:ALLK) sank by 60.2%, down $1.80, to close at $1.19 on Jan. 16.
While the value of partnerships and collaborations have climbed mostly upward in recent years, the most impressive increase has been seen with deals that are worth $1 billion or more – led in 2023 with a $22 billion antibody-drug conjugate pact between Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. and Merck & Co. Inc.
While the value of partnerships and collaborations have climbed mostly upward in recent years, the most impressive increase has been seen with deals that are worth $1 billion or more – led in 2023 with a $22 billion antibody-drug conjugate pact between Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. and Merck & Co. Inc.
Blueprint Medicines Corp. shifted away from two early clinical therapies for EGFR-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer and dropped development and commercialization of lung and thyroid cancer drug Gavreto (pralsetinib) for areas outside of the U.S. and greater China, reducing its operating expenses, as it prepares for increasing Ayvakit sales and prioritizes development of other assets.
A deal crafted in May 2022 between Novo Nordisk A/S and Flagship Pioneering has culminated into two separate research collaborations that are worth up to $532 million each in up-front and milestone payments for Omega Therapeutics Inc. and Cellarity Inc.
Nearly two years after Novartis AG signed a $1.7 billion deal for options to Voyager Therapeutics Inc.’s adeno-associated virus capsids for central nervous system disorders, the Basel, Switzerland-based company secured rights to develop gene therapies for Huntington’s disease and spinal muscular atrophy in a licensing agreement potentially worth $1.3 billion.
