The US firm’s lead oligonucleotide asset, ENTR-601-44, has received a clinical hold notice after IND submission, adding to a growing list of companies in the Duchenne space facing setbacks.

Entrada gets $250m cash and equity up front under four-year deal, which extends its runway and will enable it to focus on Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Vertex further diversifies its pipeline with a novel drug class.

Private Company Edition: Third quarter venture capital funding for biopharmaceutical firms fell from Q2, but activity remains near all-time highs year-to-date. Several companies announced VC financings in early October, including Ascidian, which launched with $50m in series A financing.

The ReDUX4 study missed its biomarker-driven primary endpoint, making it unclear if an additional trial will be needed for regulatory submission.