Roivant Sciences Ltd. has sold another company, this time offering up Dermavant Sciences Ltd. to Organon & Co. for $1.2 billion. The deal brings Organon into a crowded market for plaque psoriasis treatments. The massive amount comprises an up-front $175 million payment, along with a potential $75 million regulatory milestone and up to $950 million in commercial milestones. In the deal, Organon brings in Vtama (tapinarof) cream, a topical, aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist for mild, moderate and severe plaque psoriasis in adults. Read More
Investors reading into the U.S. FDA’s decision to skip an advisory committee meeting to discuss the NDA for Applied Therapeutics Inc.’s govorestat, seeking approval as the first therapy for treating classic galactosemia, clearly saw reasons for optimism, as shares of Applied (NASDAQ:APLT) jumped 69% to close Sept. 18 at $7.85. Read More
Wall Street apparently wanted more from Prelude Therapeutics Inc.’s phase I data with SMARCA2 enzyme degrader PRT-3789 in cancer, which rolled out Sept. 13 during the recent European Society of Medical Oncology Congress in Barcelona, but hopes are still high for other prospects in the class pushed forward by various developers. Read More
Scientists and doctors are getting much better at developing treatments for cancer. More than 18 million people with a history of cancer were alive in the U.S. at the beginning of 2022, up from just 3 million in 1971, according to the 14th edition of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Cancer Progress Report. And that number is expected to rise to 26 million by 2040. Read More
Innovent Biologics Inc. unveiled for the first time safety and efficacy data of IBI-354, an HER2 monoclonal antibody-camptothecin derivative conjugate that shows promising efficacy signals across a range of advanced solid tumors, during the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2024 Congress. An HER2-targeted antibody-drug conjugate developed using Innovent's topoisomerase inhibitor NT3 platform, IBI-354 combines a hydrophilic linker design with a hydrophobic payload to enhance the bystander effect, targeting adjacent antigen-low or negative tumor cells. Read More
How do exercise and insulin collaborate in metabolism? The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) and the Novo Nordisk Foundation recognized the work of Juleen Zierath in this topic with the Diabetes Prize for Excellence at their recent annual meeting. Read More
Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Alkeus, Asieris, Daiichi Sankyo, Dizal, Eisai, Inmune Bio, Karolinska, Merck, Ossium, Revalesio. Read More
Biopharma happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: AC Immune, Anew, Athira, Charles River, Cebina, Enzian, Janssen, Klotho, Orbis, Rakovina, Variational, Vivtex.
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Atsena, Beigene, Bridgebio, Camp4, GSK, Papillon, Sonoma. Read More
