Pharma
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Neuro Startup Arialys Raises $58M for Privilege of Tackling Brain Inflammation
Avalon BioVentures unveiled new portfolio company Arialys Therapeutics. The startup’s lead program, an antibody from Astellas Pharma, is a potential treatment for anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis (ANRE), a rare autoimmune inflammatory disorder.
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FDA Approves Updated Covid-19 Vaccines to Address Now Circulating Variants
The FDA said the updated messenger RNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna will protect against the omicron subvariants now prevalent in circulation. Left out of the FDA decision is Novavax, whose protein-based vaccine is still under regulatory review.
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Creating an Omnichannel Customer Journey in Healthcare
Improving Customer Experience and Conversion in Healthcare & Life Sciences
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Moderna Puts Up $120M to Start Cancer Drug R&D Alliance With Immatics
Moderna and Immatics aim to see if the combination of their respective technologies can lead to better cancer treatments spanning multiple therapeutic modalities. Milestone payments to immunotherapy developer Immatics could top $1.7 billion.
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Seagen and Nurix Join Forces to Develop a New Class of Cancer Medicines
Seagen and Nurix are bringing their respective technologies together to develop a new class of cancer drugs called degrader antibody conjugates. Nurix CEO Arthur Sands says the multi-year, multi-target collaboration expands the reach of each company’s technology.
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Artificial Intelligence, BioPharma
Recursion Vets Unveil Startup Noetik, Using AI to Unlock Tumor Biology
By revealing how tumors interact with immune cells, Noetik aims to identify new targets for new cancer drugs. The startup and its artificial intelligence-driven platform are supported by $14 million in seed financing.
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A One-Time Treatment for NASH? Kriya Strikes Deal for Liver Disease Gene Therapy
Gene therapy biotech Kriya Therapeutics has acquired Tramontane Therapeutics, a startup focused on metabolic diseases. Tramontane brings a gene therapy that’s a potential one-time treatment for the fatty liver disease NASH.
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Nestlé Sells Peanut Allergy Drug, Ending the Food Giant’s Foray Into Biotech
Peanut allergy therapy Palforzia, which Nestlé acquired in a multi-billion dollar deal, has been sold to allergy product company Stallergenes Greer. Palforzia was the first FDA-approved drug for peanut allergy, but its sales were hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Star Therapeutics Lands $90M to Expand Its Drug Discovery Universe
Startup Star Therapeutics will use the Series B funding to support clinical development of a drug candidate for von Willebrand disease, a bleeding disorder. The capital will also support the formation of new biotech subsidiaries developing antibodies with therapeutic applications in hematology and immunology.
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Twice Rejected Diabetes Drug/Device Product Gets New Chance at Startup i2o
Intarcia Therapeutics’ GLP-1 agonist product candidate for type 2 diabetes now belongs to i2o Therapeutics, which will make the treatment’s case for approval at an upcoming FDA advisory committee meeting. The startup’s $46 million Series A financing is one of several recently announced funding rounds.
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Amgen, FTC Settlement Allows $28B Horizon Acquisition to Move Forward
Amgen and the Federal Trade Commission are settling the lawsuit the regulator filed to block the pharmaceutical giant’s $28 billion Horizon Therapeutics acquisition. As part of the settlement, Amgen agrees not to “bundle” its products with Horizon’s drugs in negotiations with health plans.
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Senate Bill Proposes Slashing ‘Red Tape’ Around Biosimilar Interchangeability
Legislation introduced by Utah Senator Mike Lee would eliminate testing to show a biosimilar can be substituted for a reference biologic product. Lee contends the current testing requirement adds costs and delays market access for these lower-cost biological medicines.
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Still Hungry for New Obesity Meds, Novo Nordisk Makes Another M&A Deal
Novo Nordisk is expanding its cardiometabolic drug pipeline with the acquisition of Embark Biotech, a startup developing drugs for a novel target that can suppress appetite and boost calorie burning in cells. Embark’s science comes University of Copenhagen research on a novel fat cell target.
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Apellis Lays Off 25% of Staff and Turns Focus to Commercializing New Eye Drug
The Apellis Pharmaceuticals restructuring will save up to $300 million. It comes as the biotech continues its inquiry into the cause of a rare inflammatory complication reported in a small number of patients who received its geographic atrophy drug, Syfovre.
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BMS Cancer Drug’s New FDA Nod Puts It on Path to Reach Blockbuster Status
Bristol Myers Squibb drug Reblozyl is now approved as a first-line therapy for anemia caused by myelodysplastic syndromes, a group of blood cancers. It’s the third indication for the drug, which analysts project could top $4 billion in peak sales.
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Bayer Pushes Ahead With Parkinson’s Cell Therapy on Heels of Positive Phase 1 Data
A Bayer cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease has met primary and secondary goals of its first test in humans, and the pharmaceutical giant is now planning for a larger Phase 2 clinical trial expected to begin enrollment in the first half of next year.
