With a successful phase III study of plozasiran in hand, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc. plans to file an NDA with the U.S. FDA for treating the rare genetic disease familial chylomicronemia syndrome. While the data are strong, the company is playing catch-up to Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc., which has a December 2024 PDUFA for its candidate, olezarsen, in the same indication. Read More
While Dyne Therapeutics Inc.’s DYNE-251 demonstrated high levels of dystrophin expression and functional improvement in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who are amenable to exon 51 skipping, investors focused on three serious adverse events related to the drug, driving shares (NASDAQ:DYNE) down by 31% on Sept. 3. Read More
Jacobio Pharmaceuticals Group Co. Ltd. out-licensed rights for two lung cancer assets in China to Shanghai Allist Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. through a potential ¥900 million (US$126.4 million) deal. Beijing-headquartered Jacobio said Aug. 30 that it signed off development, regulatory and commercial milestone rights to both glecirasib, a KRAS G12C inhibitor first targeting non-small-cell lung cancer, and a SHP2 inhibitor called JAB-3312. Read More
Phase I/II results described by one analyst as “stunning” put Vaxcyte Inc. in position for a phase III trial with VAX-31, the firm’s 31-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine candidate designed to prevent invasive disease. San Carlos, Calif.-based Vaxcyte’s shares (NASDAQ:PCVX) closed Sept. 3 at $110.15, up $29.39, or 36.4%, on positive top-line results from the study testing the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of the product in 1,015 healthy adults ages 50 and older. Read More
George Medicines Ltd. has published positive data from two phase III studies showing GMRx2, a low-dose triple-drug combination treatment for hypertension, is superior to dual combinations of its components. Read More
Sanofi SA’s brain-penetrant Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, tolebrutinib, met the primary endpoint in the phase III Hercules trial in non-relapsing secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (nrSPMS). The first compound to show reduction in disability accumulation in MS, tolebrutinib delayed the time to onset of confirmed disability progression in people with nrSPMS, a population for which there are currently no approved therapies. Read More
Aging is part of the life cycle and, although the effects are not manifest until after adulthood, it actually occurs from birth. The concept of senescence has traditionally been associated with aging. However, an embryo has senescent cells. In that case, what is aging, how can it be measured, and from what point in the life cycle? Read More