U.K.-based seed investor Lifearc Ventures is celebrating a second major deal from its portfolio of companies after Abbvie Inc. bought the tiny former “garage startup" DJS Antibodies Ltd. for $255 million up front plus undisclosed milestone payments. DJS’ lead program is DJS-002, a potential first-in-class lysophosphatidic acid receptor 1 antagonist in preclinical studies for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and other fibrotic diseases. Read More
In its first oncology licensing collaboration, Hookipa Pharma Inc. is partnering with Roche Holding AG to develop an arenaviral for treating KRAS-mutated cancers. Roche will pay $25 million up front to Hookipa, which could ultimately bring in about $930 million in milestone-based payments as part of the deal. Read More
Galecto Inc.’s late-September news from its ongoing phase IIa trial with GB-2064 in myelofibrosis hiked shares of the Boston-based firm and piqued interest in the lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2) target, where such names as Gilead Sciences Inc. and Pharmaxis Ltd. also have been busy. Read More
The U.K. is launching a coordinated national program of research into the unprecedented outbreak of monkeypox that has spread across Europe and North America – regions where the disease is not endemic – over the past six months. Taking a lead from the SARS-CoV-2 playbook, there will be work to sequence the viral genome and to study how it is evolving, linking this to changes in the transmission and pathology of the virus. Read More
Expanding its mandate to accelerate access to essential medicines to people in low- and middle-income countries, the Medicines Patent Pool signed its first voluntary licensing agreement for a cancer treatment, Novartis AG’s Tasigna (nilotinib). A twice-daily oral drug, Tasigna is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor included on the World Health Organization’s Model List of Essential Medicines as a second-line treatment for adult and pediatric chronic myeloid leukemia. Read More
Inxmed Co. Ltd. has formed a partnership with Shanghai Huaota Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd. to combine the former’s IN-10018 and the latter’s HB-0030 for the treatment of solid tumors by jointly running preclinical studies and clinical trials. Read More
Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Abeona, Apogenix, Biovie, Brii, Everest, Ocuterra, Moderna, Plus, Providence, PTC, Radiopharm. Read More
Biopharma happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Amgen, C4X, Chemocentryx, Currax, Dr. Falk, Erasca, Hitgen, HK Inno.N, ICER, Lupin, Nora, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Polypid, Scynexis, Sebela, Sumitomo, Sunovion, Sunshine, Takeda, Trethera, Vivasc, Vivus and Zedira. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Astrazeneca, Clairvoyant, Domain, Origin, Tvardi. Read More
