Seeking to end the current system that uses rebates to buy a place on payers' formularies, the biopharma industry continues to push for value-based and fixed-discount pricing as the way to lower the high cost of drugs in the U.S. Read More
Liquidia Technologies Inc., of Morrisville, N.C., set terms for its proposed IPO, aiming to offer 4.5 million shares at a price range of $10 to $12 per share, which would bring in gross proceeds of about $49.5 million at the midpoint. Read More
Scythian Biosciences Corp., of Toronto, reported results of preclinical studies of cannabinoid (CBD) and HU-211, a synthetic cannabinoid derivative, showing the combination improved cognitive functions of rodents with mild to moderate traumatic brain injury compared to vehicle, CBD alone and HU-211 alone. Read More
HONG KONG – Taiwan-based biopharma JHL Biotech Inc. secured its first clinical trial approval from the China National Drug Administration (CNDA) for its biosimilar pipeline, aiming to kick off a phase I trial over the next few months to test JHL-1101, a biosimilar rituximab for treating non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Read More
HONG KONG – Two Chinese biopharma firms, Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co. Ltd. and Hong Kong-listed CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Ltd. will join hands in developing a combination therapy for breast cancer. Under the agreement, Junshi will provide its PD-1 antibody candidate, JS-001, to be used in combination with CSPC's newly approved paclitaxel for injection (albumin-bound). The two companies will jointly develop, register and commercialize the therapy in greater China. Read More
Researchers at University College London have demonstrated that prenatal gene therapy for the lysosomal storage disorder Gaucher disease was more effective than gene therapy immediately after birth. Read More
LONDON – The EMA raised an alarm that there will be post-Brexit shortages of 88 drugs, after finding the license holders are behind on work needed to ensure the marketing authorizations remain valid after the U.K. leaves the EU on March 29, 2019. Read More
Pliant Therapeutics Inc., a startup developing small-molecule therapies against fibrotic diseases, has raised $62 million to carry a potential new therapy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) through proof of concept next year, creating momentum toward a pivotal program to start in late 2019 or early 2020. Studies of its lead candidate, a dual-selective integrin inhibitor, are also in the works in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Read More
Verge Genomics Inc. is at a "watershed" moment, poised for breakthroughs in neurodegenerative disease at the same moment that big pharma is largely exiting the field, according to Alice Zhang, co-founder and CEO. That dichotomy represents a boon for Verge, she said, and investors apparently agreed. The company closed an oversubscribed $32 million series A led by DFJ that included new investors Wuxi Apptec Corporate Venture Fund, ALS Investment Fund, Agent Capital and OS Fund. The round is designed to advance preclinical candidates in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson's disease (PD) through medicinal chemistry studies and toward IND filings while continuing to advance the company's proprietary dataset. Read More
