Phase I data of oral amycretin, a co-agonist of GLP-1 and amylin receptors from Novo Nordisk A/S, showed a 13.1% reduction in body weight at 12 weeks vs. 1.1% for placebo, pushing shares of the Bagsvaerd, Denmark-based company to their highest levels to date. Read More
The phase II Initium study of Ultimovacs ASA’s therapeutic cancer vaccine in treating unresectable or metastatic malignant melanoma did not meet the primary endpoint. The company framed the loss by saying the UV-1 vaccine still has other indications where it could succeed. Read More
Overall, the story of HIV is one of astounding success. But to declare victory, it will be necessary to develop a vaccine. The opening session of the 31st Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) 2024 looked back to the failures but also the advances in research, all the steps that over the years brought the basic science knowledge that could bring an HIV vaccine in the future. This year, the former director of the Viral Pathogenesis Laboratory at the NIAID Vaccine Research Center, Barney Graham, was named for the Bernard Field Lecture, where he presented “Modern vaccinology: a legacy of HIV research.” Read More
A long-running lobbying effort has paid off, with the announcement of two U.K. government-backed investment vehicles through which pension funds will be able to invest in early stage private life sciences companies. Read More
Superhuman soldiers. Designer babies. Genetically tailored weapons. Mind-control. A foreign database containing the DNA of every person on the planet. The list reads like the plot of a science fiction horror story, but there’s no fiction involved. These are real threats from China raised by members of the U.S. House Select Committee on the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) at a March 7 hearing on the growing stakes of the bioeconomy and American national security. Read More
As geopolitical tensions mount, bipartisan legislation introduced in both the U.S. Senate and the House is calling to prohibit government contracts with certain Chinese biotechs such as BGI (formerly known as Beijing Genomic Institute) and Wuxi Apptec, because they are increasingly seen as national security threats. Read More
Seven years since the first approval of two chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies for hematological cancers, U.S. and Singapore-based Immunoscape Pte Ltd. is looking to develop novel T-cell receptor (TCR) therapeutics for solid tumors. Read More
Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Akeso, Biogen, Biomea, Gilead, Grace, Innate, Kura, Laminar, Maia, Nektar, Oncusp, Telios. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Astrazeneca, Calliditas, Creative Medical, Daiichi, Iecure, Janssen, Lumicell, NX, Pysence, Sandoz, Vanda, Verastem. Read More
