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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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Thermo Fisher Adds Real-World Evidence to Remit Via $912M CorEvitas Acquisition
CorEvitas brings Thermo Fisher Scientific registries that gather data about how approved therapies are working in the real world. The acquisition will complement PPD, the contract research organization that Thermo Fisher purchased in 2021.
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Payer’s Place: Dawn Maroney
Dawn Maroney, President, Markets of Alignment Health and CEO of Alignment Health Plan, to discuss how they are using technology to provide better service and care to consumers.
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Immunology & Inflammation Biotech Apogee Plans IPO to Demo Dosing Edge in Eczema
Apogee Therapeutics is planning an IPO to fund clinical development of biologic drugs that could offer dosing advantages over currently available immunology and inflammation drugs. Its lead program is being prepared for Phase 1 testing in atopic dermatitis, or eczema.
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Apellis Drug Becomes First Approved Therapy for Vision-Loss Disorder Geographic Atrophy
The FDA approved Apellis Pharmaceuticals’ Syfovre as a treatment for geographic atrophy, a retinal disorder that is a leading cause of blindness. The drug, administered as an injection into the eye, will launch in March at the price of $2,190 per vial.
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CinCor Hypertension Drug Flunks Study, But the Biotech Still Sees a Phase 3 Path
Cincor Pharma drug baxdrostat failed its Phase 2 test, falling short of the goal of reducing blood pressure in patients with uncontrolled hypertension. But results in a subgroup of patients showed double-digit declines, which the company said could inform the design of a Phase 3 clinical trial.
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Autoimmune Biotech Zenas Gets $118M to Take Antibody Drug Into Phase 3
Zenas BioPharma’s Series B financing was the biggest one of the week. Other startups that emerged with new cash include Juvena Therapeutics, Sensorium Therapeutics, and NRG Therapeutics.
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Thermo Fisher bets big on blood cancer, immune diagnostics with $2.6B Binding Site buyout
Thermo Fisher Scientific’s acquisition of The Binding Site brings a company that specializes in diagnostic tests for blood cancers and immune system disorders. It’s Thermo Fisher’s biggest acquisition since its 2021 buyout of contract research organization PPD.
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Innoviva’s Entasis acquisition brings a novel antibiotic that’s ready for the FDA
Entasis Therapeutics is being acquired by Innoviva in a deal that brings an FDA-ready antibiotic developed to address drug-resistant strains of a bacterium that infects critically ill, immunocompromised patients. Innoviva has been steadily building up its stake in Entasis, an AstraZeneca spinout, over the past two years.
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Applying Remote Patient Monitoring to Surgery Prep and Recovery, Oncology and Women’s Health
Join us to learn about the latest trends in remote monitoring and how to extend its benefits beyond chronic conditions to more patients – all while using fewer staff resources.
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Apellis Pharma eyes a shot at getting first FDA approval in rare vision disorder
Apellis Pharmaceuticals has additional clinical data that show its drug having an effect on geographic atrophy, a rare vision-loss disorder with no FDA-approved treatment. The biotech plans to include the latest results in a new drug application being readied for submission in coming months.
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Startup Mythic Therapeutics emerges with $103M to control fate of ADC cancer drugs
Antibody drug conjugates deliver a targeted strike to tumors, but the toxic payloads of these therapies can still reach healthy tissue. Mythic Therapeutics’ FateControl technology ensures that more of an ADC’s drug payload reaches the tumor, and CEO Alex Nichols is steering the startup out of stealth with $103 million and a lead program in lung cancer.
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After Phase 3 failure busts blockbuster bid, Deciphera restructures; staff slashed 35%
Deciphera Pharmaceuticals’ corporate restructuring will slash headcount by 35% and stop work on two drug programs. Going forward, the biotech said it will focus on developing drugs that have the potential to be the first or the best in their therapeutic classes.
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RA Capital reveals next play in protein degradation, this time outside the cell
The first wave of biotechs developing drugs that employ targeted protein degradation target disease-causing proteins inside the cell. Biotech startup Avilar Therapeutics, formed by RA Capital Management and led by CEO Dan Grau, is targeting proteins outside of the cell and it’s out of stealth backed by $60 million.
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Xilio, Ventyx IPOs raise $269M to fuel plans to compete with big pharma drugs
Cancer drug developer Xilio Therapeutics and Ventyx Biosciences, a company with drug candidates in cancer and autoimmune diseases, are the latest life science companies to go public. They’ll use proceeds from their respective IPOs to continue clinical development of drugs being positioned as competitors to drugs from big pharmaceutical companies.
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Entasis antibiotic bests last-resort drug in Phase 3 trial; FDA filing planned for 2022
Entasis Therapeutics, the former anti-infectives unit of AstraZeneca, has positive Phase 3 data for its lead program, an antibiotic that could address drug-resistant strains of Acinetobacter baumannii that contribute to hospital-acquired infections. The biotech plans to seek FDA approval in 2022.