Launching a company based on knowledge that “the fundamental principle that most people hold to be true is off by a trillion” is a rare opportunity, said Jake Rubens, co-founder and president of Quotient Therapeutics Inc., a company that emerged from stealth this week, backed by two years of platform development and a $50 million investment from Flagship Pioneering. Read More
Index Pharmaceuticals Holding AB CEO Jenny Sundqvist said liquidation of the company in the wake of phase III data with cobitolimod in moderate to severe ulcerative colitis (UC) is “one of the options that will be on the table.” Shares of the Stockholm-based firm (STO:INDEX) closed Nov. 22 at SEK0.24 (US2 cents), down SEK0.41, or 63%, on word that an independent data monitoring committee (DMC) has completed the planned dose-selection analysis, including safety review and assessment for futility, of induction Study 1 of the phase III program called Conclude, testing the Toll-like receptor 9 agonist cobitolimod. The DMC concluded that Index’s lead compound is unlikely to meet the primary endpoint, and the company said development will be stopped. Read More
Freeline Therapeutics plc is being taken private by its founding investor and majority shareholder Syncona Ltd, in an all-cash transaction that values the Nasdaq-listed gene therapy specialist at $28.3 million. Syncona also will provide up to $15 million cash to keep Freeline afloat as it awaits the next tranche of data on its lead program FLT-201, which is positioned as a one-off treatment for the lysosomal storage disorder, Gaucher’s disease. Read More
BioWorld’s Drug Developers Index continued to fall in October, down 31.4% for the year, compared to September when it ended down 22.8%. Among the 30 stocks tracked, only five saw gains, with the remaining 25 experiencing declines, aligning with the year’s overall trend through Nov. 16. In March, the index experienced a 12.56% drop, stayed around negative 12% through July, and has faced steady declines since. Read More
Connect Biopharma Holdings Ltd. has been seeking a partner for its atopic dermatitis candidate rademikibart, and it appears to have found the perfect partner in Simcere Pharmaceutical Group, which gains exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize rademikibart in China in a deal worth $120 million plus royalties. Read More
Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH has acquired T3 Pharmaceuticals AG for CHF450 million (US$507.5 million) to gain access to a technology that uses live bacteria to deliver immune-modulating proteins to cancer cells and tumor microenvironments. Read More
Clinical trial updates for the period of January to October 2023 saw an increase of 4.6% compared to the same time period last year. Comparatively, clinical data from January to September 2023 was up 1.79% compared to the same period last year. Read More
BioWorld's offices will be closed in observance of Thanksgiving in the U.S. No issues will be published Thursday, Nov. 23, or Friday, Nov. 24. Read More
Biopharma happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Algernon, Bristol Myers, Evelo, Gradalis, J&J, March, Medicine, Merck, Scisparc, Seyltx, SK Bioscience. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Biocryst, Biostar, Foundation, Immix, Nevragenics, Nexcella, Senhwa. Read More