Immunology

The company’s lead candidate, AP1189, has shown promise in a mid-stage rheumatoid arthritis study, sparking plans for an imminent strategic business collaboration. 

The company has ramped up a broad R&D program for the FcRn inhibitor in 11 autoantibody-driven disease areas.

From BTK inhibitors in multiple sclerosis to candidates aiding cancer cell death, Merck KGaA is focusing on its first-in-class pipeline which it expects to make a significant impact from 2025.

UCB’s Bimzelx has forged ahead with success in a late-stage psoriatic arthritis trial while it still awaits US approval for psoriasis, a hotly anticipated blockbuster indication.

The Swiss biotech is confident its S1P1 receptor modulator can be an effective treatment for lupus but the move into late-stage studies has raised some eyebrows.

A safety-related FDA revision of Rinvoq’s label in rheumatoid arthritis is a perceived threat to the JAK inhibitor’s growth, but it and fellow immunology asset Skyrizi produced another strong sales quarter.

The French major and partner Regeneron expect to file Dupixent for the rare skin disease next year after a Phase III trial of the blockbuster hit its primary and secondary endpoints.

From the latest COVID-19 advances to the emergence of a game changer for heart failure, Scrip’s editor in chief Eleanor Malone reviews the big stories of the past three months. Safety issues around JAK inhibitors and AAV vector-based gene therapy were also to the fore, while biopharma financing continued apace.

The Belgian group is the latest to be hit by the FDA's difficulties in address the growing backlog of facility inspections, leaving bimekizumab in limbo in the US, despite having just been approved as Bimzelx in Europe.

The company created two new divisions focused on the new disease areas, bringing in former executives from Bristol Myers Squibb and Sanofi Pasteur.

Deucravacitinib is an oral drug in development for a wide range of autoimmune conditions, including psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

Emerging Company Profile: Switzerland-based Anjarium Biosciences AG has successfully raised $61m in a series A financing that will fund expansion of its novel proprietary platform and development of a nascent pipeline of non-viral gene therapies.