Research focused on finding viable solutions to counter the COVID-19 pandemic continues at an explosive pace with a total of 588 potential therapeutics and vaccines at the forefront of scientific efforts launched by industry, academia and government. Read More
The question of prices for a COVID-19 vaccine have raged in recent days. Gary Disbrow, acting director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), told members of a Senate committee that vaccines developed with the help of taxpayer funding will come with an appropriate reduction in price. However, CDC Director Robert Redfield emphasized that the cold-chain distribution system for those products requires the same kind of at-risk investment that is used for vaccine development. Read More
Shares of Sweden-based Hansa Biopharma AB (NASDAQ:HNSA) jumped 32.7% to SEK53.90 (US$5.81) on July 2 as Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. became the first partner to license its lead asset, imlifidase, to enable gene therapies to treat muscular dystrophy patients harboring neutralizing antibodies to the adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors the medicines employ. Read More
Just shy of four years ago, MEI Pharma Inc. and Helsinn Group hashed out a $464 million deal to develop and commercialize pracinostat. Now an interim futility analysis has persuaded them to halt their phase III study in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) while, pending further evaluation, patients enrolled in other pracinostat studies continue their treatment. Read More
The checkpoint molecule CD47 has high hopes riding on it in oncology as being the innate immune equivalent of PD-1. Multiple companies are developing blockers against CD47 and/or its ligand, SIRPa, for the treatment of various tumors. Read More
HONG KONG – Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) ended the first half of 2020 by handing out a flurry of approvals to both domestic and international companies across a wide spectrum of indications. Read More
HONG KONG - Ocumension Therapeutics Ltd., a China-based ophthalmic pharmaceutical company, launched its IPO on the Hong Kong Exchange (HKEX) this week. The company seeks to raise more than HK$1.5 billion (US$190 million). Read More
CAJICA, Colombia – The Latin American biotech sector is scrambling in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, not only in coping with the outbreak, but also in finding the path to the future, while avoiding the pitfalls and looking for new opportunities ahead. Read More
The biopharma industry has raised nearly $62 billion in the first six months of the year, bringing it very close to the $68 billion full-year record of 2015. Well over half of that money has been raised in just the last two months, with May collecting $23.4 billion and June pulling in $16.28 billion. Read More
BioWorld looks at translational medicine, including: Potassium channel distancing fights stroke; ASO approach fixes myelin; FMF is Mediterranean’s SCD; Calpain-2 in common, rare neurodegeneration; Antitoxin vaccine fights S. aureus; Noncoding mutations contribute to heart disease; Good vs. evil in the synovial joint; Necrosis has role in post-flu bacterial infections; Macrophage crosstalk inflames fat. Read More
New hires and promotions in the biopharma industry, including: Dalcor, Harpoon, JSC Olainfarm, Lodo, Novavax, Noxxon, NuGenerex, Rexgenero, Theravance. Read More
Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: 4D, Abivax, Apellis, Biocardia, Menarini, Moleculin, Pfizer, Vaccibody. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Acacia, Beigene, Biophytis Eusa, Geron, Metvital, Mundipharma, Napp, Rhythm. Read More
