|
|
|
|
|
|
MD Anderson and Innovent Biologics to develop anti-PD-1 therapy TYVYT® (sintilimab injection) in rare cancers
“TYVYT® (sintilimab injection) was approved in 2018 by the National Medical Products Association (NMPA) in China for the treatment of relapsed or refractory classic Hodgkin's lymphoma after second-line or later systemic chemotherapy, where it is currently being evaluated in additional clinical trials for solid tumors” said Dr. Michael Yu, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Innovent. “We believe TYVYT® has great potential in various tumor types, both as a single agent and in combination with other inhibiting agents, and currently we are conducting more than 20 related clinical trials including over 10 registration clinical trials. Through this new co-development collaboration, we will work to advance TYVYT® into rare tumors, where we hope it will continue to demonstrate its efficacy across multiple tumor types.”
|
|
Surface Oncology and Merck to develop SRF617 + KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) in Solid Tumor Patients
“Surface is committed to delivering truly breakthrough therapies that can transform treatment for people with cancer. This collaboration with Merck will add an important dimension to our clinical program for SRF617, and allow us to more rapidly assess its potential,” said Robert Ross, M.D., chief medical officer at Surface Oncology. “We have demonstrated in preclinical studies that the inhibition of CD39 results in substantial activation of both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system. Encouragingly, we also found that activation is heightened in combination with anti-PD-1 treatment and that this combinatory approach has the potential to overcome anti-PD-1 resistance.”
|
BeiGene and Medison Pharma Announce Exclusive Distribution Agreement and Acceptance of New Drug Application for BTK Inhibitor BRUKINSA™ (zanubrutinib) in Israel
“Our first distribution agreement for BRUKINSA and the acceptance of our first NDA outside of the United States and China marks a significant step in realizing our global commercialization plans. We are excited to work with Medison, a leader in drug commercialization with extensive experience, to bring our potentially best-in-class BTK inhibitor to patients in Israel,” commented Howard Liang, Ph.D., CFO and Chief Strategy Officer of BeiGene. “In addition, our planned expansion into new markets illustrates BeiGene’s patient-first principle and commitment to bringing meaningful treatments to patients worldwide.”
|
|
|
|
Nautilus Biotechnology bags $100 million to fund the first ever high throughput proteomics platform
Nautilus Biotechnology (Nautilus; San Carlos CA, Seattle, WA) announced raising a $100 million in series B funding on 21st May 2020. The funding round was led by Vulcan Capital followed by Perceptive Advisors, Bezos Expeditions and Defy Partners- as new investors, along with previous investors AME Cloud Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Bolt and Madrona Venture Group.
“We’re focused on building a platform where everyone can access proteomics in an expansive way. Ultimately the platform will be an instrument.” - Nautilus CEO and co-founder Sujal Patel, to Endpoint News.
|
|
Atea Pharmaceuticals bags $215 million in series D funding to pit its nucleotide IND against COVID-19
Atea Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Atea, Boston, MA) is clinical stage biopharmaceutical company that develops orally administered direct acting antivirals (DAAs). Its DAA candidate AT-527 is a purine nucleotide prodrug that acts as a nucleotide analogue to viral RNA dependent RNA polymerases, inhibiting viral replication with high selectivity.
“Atea’s portfolio is focused on developing novel, best-in-class, potent DAA’s and we have shifted all of our immediate resources and our team’s deep expertise in virology and pharmacology to help address the unmet needs in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. An oral treatment for COVID-19 patients should prevent progression of the disease and may help lessen the burden on critical inpatient resources. Atea is moving rapidly, in concert with regulatory authorities, to determine if our oral DAA is a safe and effective therapeutic against COVID-19.”- Jean-Pierre Sommadossi, Atea Chairman and CEO.
|
BARDA awards $1 billion to Astrazeneca to hasten Phase III trials of Oxford university’s coronavirus vaccine
On 21st May 2020, AstraZeneca announced a $1 billion backing from the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) for the rapid development and Phase III clinical trial advancement of the Oxford university developed coronavirus vaccine AZD1222.
To meet the demands of the pandemic AstraZeneca has put its manufacturing strength behind AZD1222, producing over 1 billion doses of the vaccine to be deployed by September 2020. It will support supplies to a US based phase III clinical trial with 30000 participants as well as the UK based Phase I/II vaccine trial involving over 1000 volunteers (aged 18 to 55) to be conducted in September 2020. To its credit, the company has partnered with global organizations such as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi the Vaccine Alliance and the World Health Organisation (WHO) for global allocation and distribution of the vaccines to reach it in fair proportions to developing countries. AstraZeneca is also involved in talks with the Serum Institute of India (Pune, Maharashtra) to increase the vaccine’s production and distribution.
|
|
Click Here for more news and details on mergers, acquisitions and business updates
|
|
|
|
Disclaimer
The editors take care to share authentic information. In case of any discrepancies please write to medness.newsletter@gmail.com
The sponsors do not have any influence on the nature or kind of the news/analysis reported in MedNess. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Medness. Examples of analysis performed within this article are only examples. They should not be utilized in real-world analytic products as they are based only on very limited and dated open source information. Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of anyone volunteering or working for Medness. This blog is strictly for news and information. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment nor investment suggestions. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
