In a bid to expand its presence in the cardiometabolic disease space and strengthen its core business in diabetes and obesity, Novo Nordisk A/S is buying Corvidia Therapeutics Inc., of Waltham, Mass., for $2.1 billion, which includes a $725 million up-front payment.
Checkmate Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Cambridge, Mass., completed an $85 million series C to continue developing CMP-001, a differentiated Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonist, for treating anti-PD-1-refractory melanoma and to study additional indications that include front-line melanoma and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
Soleno Therapeutics Inc.’s phase III DESTINY PWS (C601) trial evaluating once-daily diazoxide choline controlled-release tablets for treating patients with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) missed its primary endpoint of change from baseline in hyperphagia, or insatiable hunger, which is the disease’s predominant syndrome.
In a big day of setting up IPOs for launch, the charge is being led by Royalty Pharma, a buyer of biopharmaceutical royalties and an industry funder, which is aiming at a $2 billion offering. That massive number is more than half of the total biotech offerings brought in through May.
The FDA has approved Recarbrio (imipenem-cilastatin and relebactam), from Merck & Co. Inc., of Kenilworth, N.J., to treat adults with hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (HABP/VABP).
Athira Pharma Inc. closed on an $85 million series B financing designed to advance its small molecule, NDX-1017, into a phase II/III trial for treating Alzheimer’s disease later this year. The company is using positive data generated last year from its phase Ia/b trial in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease as a springboard to the clinic.
New interim phase II data from Replimune Group Inc., of Woburn, Mass., show RP-1 and Opdivo (nivolumab, Bristol-Meyers Squibb Co.) produced multiple complete responses and a high rate of deep responses in anti-PD-1/anti-CTLA-refractory melanoma.
The juggernaut that is Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd.’s Enhertu continued to roll into this weekend’s American Society of Clinical Oncology virtual meeting, bringing momentum from its December FDA approval for HER2-positive breast cancer, along with fresh data from three new studies in other indications.
Aduro Biotech Inc. and privately held Chinook Therapeutics Inc., will merge to focus mainly on kidney diseases. Two complementary drugs are involved in the deal.
