On the strength of upside in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in patients with geographic atrophy (GA), Annexon Inc. officials will meet with the U.S. FDA to talk about what’s next for ANX-007, after the C1q inhibitor missed the phase II trial’s primary endpoint: mean rate of change, or slope, in the GA lesion area compared to sham. Read More
Mixed phase III study results have Bioxcel Therapeutics Inc. moving ahead to complete the clinical trial while withstanding a hammering from investors. BXCL-501 (dexmedetomidine), a sublingual film being developed to treat bipolar disorders- or schizophrenia-associated agitation, produced clinically meaningful efficacy results in part 1 of the pivotal study with half of the approved dose, but the primary efficacy endpoint was not statistically significant at two hours (p=0.077). BXCL-501 separated from placebo at four hours (p=0.049). Read More
Varmx BV has raised €30 million (US$32 million) in an extension to its series B to fund preparations for the pivotal trial of VMX-C001, a modified recombinant factor X that acts as a universal antidote to reverse the effects of direct oral anticoagulants. The drug is intended for use in patients suffering severe spontaneous bleeding or needing emergency surgery. Read More
Providing no details, Mirati Therapeutics Inc. failed to meet its overall survival primary endpoint in the phase III Sapphire trial with sitravatinib. The receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor was tested in combination with anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor Opdivo (nivolumab, Bristol Myers Squibb Co.) vs. docetaxel in patients with second- or third-line advanced nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer. According to Mirati, this patient population consists of about 70,000 people in the U.S. and Europe who have derived prior benefit from a PD-(L)1 inhibitor. Read More
The researchers who enabled patients with spinal cord injuries to walk independently after implanting programmable electrodes below their lesions have now taken things one step further, restoring direct communication from the brain to the spinal cord, enabling the brain rather than an external computer to direct leg movements. Read More
Bayer AG’s copanlisib was approved in China for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed follicular lymphoma who have received at least two prior systemic therapies. It is the first indication approved in the country for copanlisib, which is entering a market with room to grow but marked by some domestic competition. Read More
Pfizer Inc.’s Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir) became the first oral antiviral to win full U.S. FDA approval for treating COVID-19, cleared for use in adults who are at high risk for progression to severe disease, including hospitalization or death. The nod follows two months after the agency’s Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee voted 16-1 in favor of Paxlovid’s overall benefit-risk assessment. Read More
New hires and promotions in the biopharma industry, including: Adverum, Agios, Arcutis, Cartography, Cytodyn, FSD, Replay, Spruce, Topas, Tscan. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Allos, Astrazeneca, Bioray, Braeburn, Innoviva, Inovio, Phathom, Sarepta, Tryp. Read More
