cancer immunotherapy
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Regeneron is paying $900M for full rights to cancer drug partnered with Sanofi
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals has big plans for cancer immunotherapy Libtayo and it believes it can better execute on them if it has full control of the drug, currently partnered with Sanofi. Regeneron struck a deal to pay Sanofi $900 million, plus another $200 million in milestones, to secure full global rights to the asset.
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Closely watched Roche drug fails a second pivotal test in lung cancer
Roche reported that its drug tiragolumab failed to achieve one of two main goals of a Phase 3 study in non-small cell lung cancer. The antibody is designed to block TIGIT, a checkpoint protein that has been a hot target for pharmaceutical companies looking for a way to broaden the reach of cancer immunotherapy.
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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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Regeneron captures new piece for cancer with $250M Checkmate Pharma buyout
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is paying $250 million cash to acquire Checkmate Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biotech developing drugs that activate the innate immune system. The biotech’s lead drug candidate is currently in pivotal testing in melanoma.
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FDA gives Gilead reprieve on partial hold for cancer drug studies
An FDA safety review has cleared Gilead Sciences to resume five clinical trials that were placed under a partial hold in January. The experimental Gilead drug, magrolimab, is part of a class of cancer immunotherapies that address a hot target for the field.
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Werewolf cancer drug strikes right note with Jazz Pharma, sparking licensing deal
Jazz Pharmaceuticals is licensing rights to a Werewolf Therapeutics cytokine therapy that’s on track to reach clinical testing next year. The deal gives Jazz a drug candidate that expands the company’s scope to immuno-oncology.
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Cell therapy biotech Affini-T gets $175M; KRAS is lead genomic cancer target
Affini-T Therapeutics is developing new cell therapies for cancer that could overcome limitations of the first generation of cell therapies. The initial genomic cancer targets of the startup are mutations of KRAS and p53, both of which have proven difficult to drug.
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BMS nabs FDA nod for first drug in new class of cancer immunotherapies
Bristol Myers Squibb’s Opdualag has been approved by the FDA, a first for a drug that goes after a new cancer target called LAG-3. The drug is approved for advanced melanoma as part of a combination treatment that includes the already approved BMS cancer immunotherapy Opdivo.
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Nektar drug key to multi-billion dollar BMS deal fails pivotal test in melanoma
Bristol Myers Squibb bet more than $1.8 billion that Nektar Therapeutics’ drug could be combined with the pharma giant’s Opdivo to expand the reach of that drug to more patients. The drug combination has failed its first Phase 3 in advanced melanoma; separate studies in kidney and bladder cancers are ongoing.
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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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Alpine Immune Sciences cancer drug trial placed on partial hold after patient death
The FDA placed a partial clinical hold on a Phase 1 study testing experimental Alpine Immune Sciences cancer drug davoceticept in combination with Merck cancer immunotherapy Keytruda. The partial hold does not affect a separate study testing the Alpine drug as a monotherapy.
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Cancer biotech Rondo gets $67M to step on the gas with next-gen bispecific drugs
Rondo Therapeutics is developing bispecific antibody drugs capable of treating solid tumors, which have eluded this type of cancer therapy. Led by co-founders and Teneobio veterans Shelley Force Aldred and Nathan Trinklein, the biotech startup has emerged from stealth backed by a $67 million Series A round of funding.
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BioNTech broadens its scope in cancer with Medigene cell therapy alliance
BioNTech is acquiring a preclinical T cell receptor program (TCR) from Medigene, as well as licenses to the biotech’s TCR technologies. The agreement helps BioNTech expand its scope in cancer immunotherapy with a new approach for addressing solid tumors.
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Gilead Sciences cancer drug hit with partial hold due to adverse event concern
Gilead Sciences did not disclose details about the safety concern that led to an FDA partial clinical hold on five studies evaluating its cancer drug, magrolimab. But this experimental cancer immunotherapy introduces a safety risk that’s a known problem for all drugs in this class.
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Startup Avenge Bio nabs $45M for novel cell therapy approach to ovarian cancer
The field of biotechs pursuing new interleukin-2 cancer immunotherapies is filled with companies engineering different versions of that signaling protein. Avenge Bio CEO Mike Heffernan said his startup stands apart with a cell therapy that produces human IL-2 that could offer advantages compared to engineered versions of that protein.
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Novartis, BeiGene ink another deal; plan for tests of checkpoint cancer drug combos
Novartis is partnering with BeiGene on the development of a drug that addresses TIGIT, a hot cancer immunotherapy target. The Swiss pharma giant is committing $300 million up front, and up to $700 million more upon exercising its option on BeiGene’s antibody drug.