Hopes had not exactly soared high for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s combo pairing the angiopoietin2 (Ang2) antibody nesvacumab with approved Eylea (aflibercept), although "nobody would like it to do a bit more" than Eylea monotherapy, said CEO Leonard Schleifer, referring to chief scientific officer George Yancopoulos, who discovered Ang2. "A lot of people have sort of forgotten that," he said. Read More
Atyr Pharma Inc., of San Diego, said it dosed the first subjects in a phase I trial of Imod.Fc (ATYR-1923), its first engineered Physiocrine and second therapeutic candidate, in development for treating interstitial lung diseases. Read More
DUBLIN – Shares in Innate Pharma SA slumped by 40 percent Thursday on news that a combination of its first-in-class antibody, lirilumab (IPH-2102/BMS-986015), which targets three inhibitory killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs), and the PD-1 inhibitor Opdivo (nivolumab) failed to demonstrate efficacy in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Read More
Biogen Inc. is snapping up global rights to Alkermes plc's phase III ALKS-8700, a prodrug of the active metabolite in Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate), for $28 million up front, potential milestone payments of up to $200 million, and royalties. The experimental multiple sclerosis (MS) drug is expected to be the subject of a 505(b)(2) application in 2018 and may offer more favorable gastrointestinal (GI) tolerability than Tecfidera. Read More
HONG KONG – Scientists report having developed new biohybrid micro-robots capable of navigating complex biological environments with high precision, which potentially have biomedical applications including disease monitoring, targeted drug delivery and minimally invasive surgery. Read More
HONG KONG – Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has signed a $100 million deal with Portal Instruments Inc. to develop and commercialize a needle-free drug delivery system. Read More
Axel Bolte's background in venture financing served him well when it came time to set up shop at Inozyme Pharma Inc. But his deep ties to academia were even more important to the company's formation. Entrée to technology discovered at Yale University could enable Inozyme to offer a distinctly new approach to treat rare calcification disorders. Read More
Tiziana Life Sciences plc, of London, a company developing targeted drugs for cancer and autoimmune diseases, raised £275,000 (US$366,500) through the issue of 183,333 new ordinary shares at a price of 150 pence (US$2) per share. Read More
Benitec Biopharma Ltd., of Sydney, submitted an application to the FDA seeking orphan drug designation for BB-301 as a treatment of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy. Read More
