Pfizer Inc. and Eli Lilly and Co. reported top-line results from a phase III trial of tanezumab, prompting concerns about the nerve growth factor (NGF) inhibitor's safety and efficacy, another step in the epic process of trying to get the drug approved.
Arrakis Therapeutics Inc. has completed a $75 million series B financing to continue its work on small-molecule medicines that directly target RNA to treat disease, primarily cancers.
Puretech Health plc entered a research collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH to leverage Puretech's lymphatic targeting technology for immune modulation and develop product candidates for an undisclosed number of targets. Puretech receives up to $26 million in the deal and is eligible for more than $200 million in development and sales milestones, in addition to royalties on product sales.
Gilead Sciences Inc. and privately held Insitro Inc. entered a three-year collaboration to discover and develop therapies for patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Insitro will create NASH disease models and find targets that influence the disease through machine learning to predict patient responses to therapeutic interventions, while Gilead handles the chemistry and development of up to five targets.
Clovis Oncology Inc. called a halt late Friday to its phase II open-label monotherapy trial evaluating Rubraca (rucaparib) in recurrent metastatic bladder cancer (Atlas), based on a data monitoring committee recommendation that had reviewed the preliminary efficacy data.
Syncona Ltd. has merged two of its companies, U.K.-based Gyroscope Therapeutics Ltd., a biotech developing gene therapy for retinal diseases, and U.S.-based Orbit Biomedical Ltd., a medical device company that targets delivery of gene and cell therapies into the retina, to create a single retinal gene therapy company.
Cambridge, Mass.-based Inozyme Pharma Inc. just added $67 million to its financing with a series A2 boost led by Pivotal Bioventure Partners and Sofinnova Investments.
Three biotechs – Turning Point Therapeutics Inc., Hookipa Pharma Inc. and Trevi Therapeutics Inc. – are gearing up to join the public sector. Turning Point and Hookipa both set terms, aiming to raise $125.8 million and $100.5 million at the midpoint of their respective ranges, while Trevi filed for an IPO, aiming to raise as much as $86.25 million.
Privately held Ocugen Inc. and publicly held Histogenics Corp. have entered a definitive merger agreement to create a publicly traded, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company using Ocugen as its name, with a focus on eye diseases.
