Respiratory complications caused by COVID-19 can propel a patient from a mild cough one day to a ventilator and an ICU only 10 days later. As countries around the world work to stockpile ventilators and citizens continue social distancing measures, biopharma companies are tackling the development of fast-acting therapeutics to disrupt a dire disease trajectory in hospitalized patients. An industry-wide frantic race has ensued. On March 5, BioWorld reported that there were approximately 30 therapeutics and vaccines in development for COVID-19. As of April 28, there were 343 total: 249 therapeutics and 94 vaccines. Read More
The phase III failure of Blueprint Medicines Corp.’s avapritinib to meet its primary endpoint of improving progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) pummeled the company stock on Tuesday but boosted shares and hopes at Deciphera Pharmaceuticals Inc. Read More
CYBERSPACE – At a series of new drugs on the horizon sessions at the 2020 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Virtual Annual Meeting I, a variety of companies presented preclinical and clinical data for promising early stage oncology products. Read More
BEIJING – CAR T specialist Wuhan Bio-Raid Biotechnology Co. Ltd. said its BRD-01, an anti-CD30 CAR T therapy candidate, has been granted IND approval by China’s NMPA. It is the first CD30 candidate to enter the clinic stage amid an increasingly heated CAR T race dominated by candidates targeting CD19 and BMCA. Read More
HONG KONG – The South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare (MHW) is seeking a manager for its new ₩100 billion (US$81.63 million) private equity fund, which aims to help domestic biotech and medical device companies expand into overseas markets. Read More
DUBLIN – Thrive Earlier Detection Corp. and its academic and clinical collaborators have provided a first glimpse at the utility of a liquid biopsy test as a screening tool for picking up cancers in an asymptomatic population. In an interim one-year readout of data from the prospective five-year DETECT-A study in 10,000 women, an early version of Thrive’s Cancerseek test picked up 26 cancers ahead of standard-of-care screening, while the latter modality picked up another 24 cancers that Cancerseek missed. Read More
Baltimore-based Lifesprout Inc., a Johns Hopkins University startup, said it has closed a $28.5 million series A financing. It is planning to use the proceeds to support clinical development of therapeutic products from its Regenerative Matrix platform. Read More
New and updated preclinical and clinical data presented by biopharma firms at the American Association for Cancer Research’s Virtual Annual Meeting, including: Karus, Noxxon, Oric, Syndax, Tarveda, Trovagene. Read More
Biopharmas raising money in public or private financings, including: Aeglea, Avadel, Avalyn, Biogen, Caladrius, Immunomedics, Kiadis, Neubase. Read More
Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Apellis, Bioxcel, Blueprint, Genentech, Generex, I-Mab, Innate, Innovent, Inovio, Morphosys, Ocular, Orchard, R-Pharm, Rafael, Spectrum. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Adaptimmune, Bioeclipse, Moderna, Moleculin, Pharmamar, Retrotope, Roche, Sanofi, Shionogi, Zambon. Read More
The latest global regulatory news, changes and updates affecting biopharma, including: Chugai, Fresenius, Genentech, Pfizer, Quva, Roche, Vertex. Read More
