LONDON – The U.K. is launching a £28 million (US$34.5 million) project to sequence the whole genome of every COVID-19 patient in the country treated in intensive care, with the aim of uncovering host genetic factors that lead some people to be more severely affected by the infection. The study will involve up to 20,000 people currently or previously treated in one of 170 intensive care units (ICUs), whose genomes will be compared to 15,000 people with a confirmed infection who had mild or moderate symptoms. Read More
Despite evidence of efficacy in binge-eating disorder (BED), Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s dasotraline's second lease on life is done, for now. Following an initial plan to discontinue the asset in a 2010 portfolio reshuffle, the drug is now being shelved due to the need for additional clinical studies on its benefit-risk profile, parent Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co. Ltd. said. Read More
Though Quralis Corp., of Cambridge, Mass., has been developing its pipeline for more than three years, the company now has a $42 million series A in hand to continue researching and developing therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. Read More
CYBERSPACE – At the virtual annual meeting of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, CAR T cells were the subject of both historical overviews and cutting-edge research alike. Read More
BEIJING – Shandong, China-based Luoxin Pharmaceuticals Group Stock Co. Ltd. said its PIK3α inhibitor, LX-086, has been approved by China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) to enter clinical trials for advanced solid tumors, two weeks after Novartis AG’s alpelisib, which aims at the same target, was also granted IND clearance in China. Read More
CAJICA, Colombia – Previous research to develop vaccines for dengue and Zika virus could become the cornerstone for a vaccine against COVID-19, which the Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) is working on. Read More
PERTH, Australia – Australian stem cell company Mesoblast Ltd. completed a capital raising of AU$138 million (US$90 million) to scale up manufacturing of its allogeneic cell therapy, remestemcel-L, to treat COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Read More
Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Actelion, Alexion, Avrobio, Biogen, Capricor, Curis, Fulcrum, Gossamer, I-Mab, Medday, Novadip, Novartis, Novo, Opiant, Roivant. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Arbor, Ascletis, Bluebird, BMS, Cytodyn, Dcprime, Ferring, Novocure, Rhythm, Sunovion, Zai Lab. Read More
