While Chinese bioventures continue to surge ahead in immuno-oncology R&D, NeoImmuneTech says its long-acting human IL-7 in combination with pembrolizumab shows Phase IIa clinical efficacy in gastrointestinal tumors. Another Korean firm, GI Innovation, says its bispecific fusion protein/pembrolizumab combo shows synergistic effects in solid tumors at Phase I/II.

Public Company Edition: PTC will get $350m up front as part of an initial $500m commitment. Also, while Biohaven and Vaxcyte launched traditional follow-on offerings, Recursion and Agios took the private placement and royalty sale routes, while others revealed job cuts and other strategic updates. 

For an industry increasingly dominated by these drugs, commercial programs need to take on the risk once reserved for development.

An analysis of the Korea Drug Development Fund’s selection of projects for R&D grants so far this year shows more applications and particular support for domestic cell and gene therapy projects, reflecting the strong interest in this area globally.