Innate Pharma SA inked a licensing deal that grants Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd exclusive worldwide rights to research and develop antibody-drug conjugates using a panel of selected Innate antibodies against an undisclosed target, with a primary focus in celiac disease. Read More
Biontech SE has tapped into two of Duality Biologics Co. Ltd.’s antibody-drug conjugate candidates (ADCs), paying Duality $170 million up front and agreeing on development, regulatory and commercial milestone fees of $1.5 billion or more. Read More
Biorchestra Co. Ltd. reached an exclusive research, option and licensing contract with a U.S.-based company to use its targeting technology platform to develop nucleic acid therapies to treat neurological disorders in a deal valued up to $861 million. Read More
Radiopharmaceuticals have been used for a long time for diagnostics, but radiopharma therapies are entering a new era in which they are becoming widely accepted as a key tool in the oncology armamentarium potentially providing patients with a big bump in efficacy with fewer side effects and less damage to healthy tissue. In this eight-part series, BioWorld takes a deep dive into this new treatment modality to explore what the new uses or alternatives are and what the future of radiopharmaceutical therapy might look like. Part one sets the stage and outlines the beginnings of the industry and some of the challenges drugmakers will need to overcome. The series will take a closer look at the different radiopharmaceutical moieties, the science behind them, the patient journey, the therapies in the pipeline, the regulatory landscape, and the supply chain vulnerabilities. Read More
Global interest in radiopharmaceuticals is growing, and some big deals in the space have sparked interest in the last few years. Novartis AG has spent about $6 billion in acquisitions and is seen as the global leader. Read More
The big idea behind radiopharmaceuticals is taking the hallmarks of two cancer therapies – radiology and chemotherapy – and merging them, and this is what makes the technology a disrupter. Read More
After spending decades developing targeted chemotherapy and bringing a dozen or so compounds into the clinic, Fusion Pharmaceuticals Inc. Chief Scientific Officer Christopher Leamon switched careers to focus on radio-oncology because he saw the need for “a really strong bomb to target cancer to get it to respond.” That was radiotherapy, said Leamon, who was one of the scientific founders of Endocyte Inc., which Novartis AG acquired. Read More
If its challenges can be overcome, radioligand therapy is poised to change the way many cancers are treated. It is also likely to become an example of how scientific advances, once they are translated successfully, can enable further insights in a bench-to-bedside-to-bench loop. David Piwnica-Worms, professor and chair of cancer systems imaging at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, predicted that as radioligand therapy expands, many questions will be answered about both radiation biology and the interaction of radiation with the immune system more specifically. Read More
During the first round of discussion at its two-day hearing on a World Trade Organization proposal to expand the intellectual property (IP) waiver from COVID-19 vaccines to diagnostics and therapies, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) got an earful from both sides of the debate. Read More
Junshi Biosciences Co. Ltd. and Rxilient Biotech Pte Ltd. are forming a joint venture (JV) to develop and commercialize Junshi’s PD-1 inhibitor, toripalimab, in nine Southeast Asian nations. Read More
Clinical updates from Asia, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Actinogen Medical, Bioxytran, Dxvx C., Eisai, Immutep, Invivyd, Kintor, Olix, Takeda, Vacmedix UK, Yishengbio. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations in Asia-Pacific: Athos, Huidagene, Hutchmed, Immvira, Incyte, Samsung Bioepis, Transcenta. Read More
