Arrowhead shelves one cardiometabolic drug candidate, focuses on another
On Tuesday, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals said it will shift focus to its experimental cardiometabolic drug plozasiran and will deprioritize its work on zodasiran, emphasizing the need to be thoughtful...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lyell reports patient death, early responses in solid tumor CAR-T trial
In an early-stage clinical trial with a handful of patients, Lyell Immunopharma’s experimental CAR-T therapy for solid tumor cancers showed hints of efficacy but also faced significant safety concerns,...
View ArticleZealand rides obesity wave with $1B raise to advance amylin drug and look for...
Zealand Pharma is raising $1 billion to focus on its “crown jewel” — an amylin analog for weight loss — both to advance it into a Phase 2b trial and hunt for a development and commercial partner. CEO...
View ArticleAlexis Borisy and Zach Weinberg's Curie.Bio secures $380M to support...
Curie.Bio, a Cambridge, MA-based biotech accelerator that aims to “free the founders,” has raised a $380 million fund mainly to support nascent startups that graduate from its program. The fund,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
With a $372M megaround, Formation Bio looks to in-license 10+ drugs
While the bulk of AI-focused biotechs try to discover drugs and push the boundaries of biology, Benjamine Liu would rather synthesize meeting minutes than molecules. Liu’s startup, Formation Bio, is...
View ArticleModerna's updated RSV vaccine disappoints with only 50% efficacy
Moderna reported that its vaccine was 50% effective at preventing lower respiratory disease following RSV infection, falling short of numbers reported by GSK and Pfizer heading into the fall, when...
View ArticleTaysha’s $75M offering; Augustine raises €17M
Plus, news about Agile Therapeutics, Insud, Werewolf Therapeutics and Allakos: Taysha Gene Therapies sells $75M in shares: The biotech is issuing more than 14 million shares of common stock for $2.25...
View ArticleFDA publishes long-awaited guidance on clinical trial diversity
As the White House kicked off a public forum on clinical trials on Wednesday, the FDA simultaneously published a delayed draft guidance on ensuring clinical trials become diverse. The draft guidance...
View ArticleNovo Nordisk takes $816M impairment loss after Phase 3 fail in chronic kidney...
Novo Nordisk said Wednesday morning a small molecule that it recently bought for up to $1.3 billion has failed a Phase 3 trial in chronic kidney disease. The Danish drugmaker said it will take an...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Savara’s rare lung disease treatment passes Phase 3
Savara reported that its daily treatment for a rare lung disease met the primary endpoint in a key late-stage study. The company is developing molgramostim for autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis...
View ArticleEMA calls for member states to lend a hand to ease GLP-1 supply bottlenecks
The European Medicines Agency is calling for both pharma companies and its member states to address the supply pressures on GLP-1 weight loss and diabetes drugs. The ongoing shortage for GLP-1 drugs is...
View ArticleHHS reveals 64 drugs up for Medicare inflation rebates next quarter
More drugs than ever will be subject to Medicare inflation rebates under the Inflation Reduction Act next quarter. On Wednesday, the Department of Health and Human Services revealed the 64 drugs that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Scientists unveil new way to make large changes to genes, and no CRISPR is...
Scientists led by Patrick Hsu at the Arc Institute in Palo Alto have unveiled a new form of gene editing that can add, remove or flip large stretches of DNA — all without the help of CRISPR. CRISPR...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Optum Rx may enter biosimilar market to match competitors CVS, Express Scripts
Top PBM Optum Rx may be moving into the biosimilar business, joining its competitors CVS and Express Scripts, according to a US trademark application for a business called Nuvaila. The application to...
View ArticleHaleon to sell nicotine replacement therapy business to Dr. Reddy’s for $630M
Haleon has agreed to sell its ex-US nicotine replacement therapy business to Dr. Reddy’s for a total of £500 million, or about $630 million, the company announced Wednesday. Under the deal, Haleon will...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Updated: CDC expands RSV vaccine recommendations, namely for adults 75 and older
The CDC advisory panel that helps set US vaccine policy said the use of RSV shots should be expanded to more adults, recommending the shot for all people 75 and older and for those aged 60 to 74 at...
View ArticleFDA approves new COPD drug from Verona Pharma
The FDA approved Verona Pharma’s drug for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, the first maintenance treatment with a new mechanism for the ailment in over two decades, according to the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Digital health funding flattens out, PitchBook report shows
(This story is from our new Health Tech newsletter. If you’d like to sign up, just click here.) Despite a number of high-profile late-stage megarounds, overall funding for startups seems to have...
View ArticleFDA rejects Daiichi's HER3 ADC, a blow to quick approval plans for Merck...
The FDA has given a thumbs down to Daiichi Sankyo’s HER3 antibody-drug conjugate patritumab deruxtecan. The Wednesday rejection deals a blow to the Japanese pharma’s plans for a near-term expansion of...
View ArticleAbbVie and Genmab score accelerated follicular lymphoma nod for Epkinly
AbbVie and Genmab are celebrating their second accelerated approval for Epkinly, this time in follicular lymphoma. The bispecific antibody, also known as epcoritamab, was approved on Wednesday for...
View Article