To bolster its obesity treatment pipeline, Eli Lilly and Co. is buying Versanis Bio Inc. in a massive cash deal that could reach $1.92 billion. The total amount of the deal includes an up-front payment and development and sales milestone payments. Privately held Versanis, of Boston, brings to Lilly its lead asset bimagrumab, a monoclonal antibody that’s enjoying a resurgence since a failure in treating sarcopenia. Read More
Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. have expanded their development and commercialization partnership for Daybue (trofinetide) beyond the U.S. to take the Rett syndrome treatment to the world in a deal valued at $527 million plus royalties. Read More
Dose-limiting toxicities in a phase I/II study led Theseus Pharmaceuticals Inc. to quit work with lead compound THE-630, a pan-variant KIT Inhibitor for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), but the company plans to nominate another such candidate in the same indication during the first half of 2024. Meanwhile, the firm is prioritizing THE-349, a fourth-generation EGFR inhibitor for non-small-cell lung cancer, due for an IND application in the fourth quarter of this year. Read More
Two biopharma companies entered the public markets on July 14, with Apogee Therapeutics Inc. pricing a $300 million IPO, the second largest U.S. debut this year, and Sagimet Biosciences Inc. raising $85 million. Apogee, of San Francisco, and Waltham, Mass., is advancing APG-777 and APG-808, which are in development for atopic dermatitis (AD) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, while San Mateo, Calif.-based Sagimet’s lead candidate is the FASN inhibitor denifanstat for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Read More
There are at least two ways to look at biopharma deals and M&As in 2023. Through one vantage point, the volume of both, and the value of M&As, are at their lowest levels in at least five years – and deal values have declined by 8% compared with 2022. From another perspective, however, M&As appear to be picking up, and those same declining deal values in the first half of 2023 represent the third highest amount since 2017. Read More
Another collaboration between two biopharmaceutical companies in the Asia-Pacific region is adding fuel to an already heated fire for antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) development worldwide. Suzhou, China-headquartered Genequantum Healthcare Co. Ltd. and South Korea’s Aimedbio Inc. recently announced extending an existing partnership to jointly develop five ADC investigative drugs. Read More
Viiv Healthcare Group’s long-acting therapies to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), including cabotegravir as an oral tablet and as an injectable, have been approved by China’s NMPA, expanding the company’s presence in the sector and giving HIV patients in the country a new treatment option. Read More
Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Akari, Calliditas, First Wave, Genentech, Grifols, Invectys, Psycheceutical, Skye, Tme, Vigeo. Read More
Biopharma happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Arrivent, Bluebird, Coherus, Crispr, Frequency Therapeutics, Innocare, Korro Bio, KSQ, Nymox, Roche, Superior Biologics, Vertex. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Ardelyx, Astrazeneca, Dr. Reddy's, Incannex, Merck, Perrigo, Tryp. Read More
