With a year-old phase III failure dogging it, Astrazeneca plc's phase III Tulip 2 clinical trial of anifrolumab for treating systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) met its primary endpoint by reducing disease activity vs. placebo. Read More
LONDON – The future role of artificial intelligence (AI) in health in the U.K. was cemented recently with the announcement of £250 million (US$301 million) in government funding to set up a dedicated AI laboratory that will work to systematically apply the technology and harness the benefits at a national level. Read More
In retrospect, it seems inevitable that an algorithm would be appointed to a board of directors. Hong Kong-based Deep Knowledge Ventures named Vital (an acronym for Validating Investment Tool for Advancing Life Sciences) to its board five years ago and credits it with making better decisions than its fellow members, humans all. Read More
DUBLIN – Immunicum AB found itself at odds with its shareholders on the interpretation of top-line data for its immunostimulatory allogeneic dendritic cell (DC) therapy ilixadencel, which has completed a phase II trial in 88 patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Read More
A year after landing a $37 million series A to support its mission of addressing the most desperate of rare diseases, Rallybio LLC linked up with Exscientia Ltd. to form RE Ventures, a joint venture designed to accelerate the discovery of small-molecule drug therapies targeting rare disease indications. Read More
In the same breath that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) claimed it's moving forward to facilitate and expand scientific and medical research for marijuana in the U.S., the agency said this week that decisions on pending applications from entities seeking to be registered to manufacture marijuana for that research will have to wait until the agency proposes new regulations to govern a growers program. Read More
Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co. Ltd., of Osaka, said it agreed to invest up to $25 million in Remiges Biopharma Fund II, a venture fund created by Remiges Ventures Inc., marking Sumitomo's second investment in a fund created by Remiges. Additional terms were not disclosed. Read More
The star of Abbvie Inc.'s multibillion-dollar acquisition of Stemcentrx Inc., rovalpituzumab tesirine (Rova-T), is officially dead after an interim analysis of the phase III Meru study found it failing to help people with advanced small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) live any longer than a placebo. Abbvie is terminating all further R&D of the disappointing asset. Read More
