Benitec Biopharma Ltd. is winding down its lead program, the hepatitis C virus (HCV) candidate TT-034, terminating further development of the phase I/IIa drug.
Forty Seven Inc., a young company moving a humanized IgG4 kappa anti-CD47 monoclonal antibody (MAb) through dual phase I studies, completed the first half of a committed $75 million series A financing led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Sutter Hill Ventures. Clarus Ventures and GV (formerly Google Ventures) also participated in the financing.
The FDA's refusal to accept a new drug application for PTC Therapeutics Inc.'s Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) candidate Translarna (ataluren) left the company pondering next steps as its shares (NASDAQ:PTCT) plunged, falling 61.6 percent, or $17.42, to close at $10.84 on Tuesday.
Mesoblast Ltd., the developer of a cell therapy for steroid-refractory acute graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD), reported that a new analysis of long-term data shows that children treated with the cells demonstrated clinically meaningful responses and significantly increased survival, with an overall response rate of 65 percent at 28 days after treatment.
Mesoblast Ltd., the developer of a cell therapy for steroid-refractory acute graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD), reported that a new analysis of long-term data shows that children treated with the cells demonstrated clinically meaningful responses and significantly increased survival, with an overall response rate of 65 percent at 28 days after treatment.
Strategia Therapeutics Inc., of Boston, has started a U.S.-based phase I trial of the antimetabolite agent FF-10502 in patients with advanced solid tumor cancers and lymphoma.
A year after treatment with Athersys Inc.'s Multistem cell therapy in a phase II trial, 23 percent of people who suffered an ischemic stroke achieved a clinically rated "excellent outcome" vs. just 8.2 percent of patients who received placebo, the company told attendees of the 2016 International Stroke Conference in Los Angeles.
Interim data suggesting that the length of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment regimens for many hepatitis C (HCV) cases could be halved by adding Regulus Therapeutics Inc.'s microRNA antagonist, RG-101, pushed company shares (NASDAQ:RGLS) 19.3 percent higher to $7.49 by Wednesday's market close.
Akarna Therapeutics Ltd. closed a $15 million series B preferred stock financing that the company said would accelerate the development of its lead farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonist drug candidate through human proof-of-concept studies in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and/or fatty liver disease.
Despite pricing well below range, an upsized IPO by cystic fibrosis drug developer Proteostasis Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:PTI) fell 17 percent during its first day of trading Thursday, joining a small but intrepid class of four biotech IPOs this year, all of which have seen shares fall from their initial price. (See chart, below.)
