Other Therapy Areas
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Aesthetics
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BiologicsMD Uses Unique Fusion Proteins To Treat Alopecia Safely
Emerging Company Profile: The US biotech is developing a series of recombinant fusion proteins to tackle alopecia and other diseases without supressing the immune system.

Finance Watch: Brent Saunders Plots Return To Deal-Making With A SPAC IPO
Public Company Edition: The former Allergan CEO is taking a special purpose acquisition corporation public to generate $460m for deals in familiar biopharma niches. Also, IPOs are expected to keep up a robust pace in the fall and Albireo raises $160m on the success of its drug for pediatric liver diseases.

ITC Takes Medytox’s Hand In US Botulinum Case, Bans Daewoong’s Imports
USITC’s initial decision in the Medytox and Daewoong botulinum dispute is favorable to Medytox and poised to take a toll on the Korean firm and partner Evolus as they face a 10-year ban on imports of their product to the US.

Korea Botox Rivalry To Intensify After Meditoxin Measures
As South Korea’s drug ministry decides to rescind approval of Medytox’s botulinum toxin product following manipulation of manufacturing and quality control documents, competition among existing rivals and newcomers is expected to further intensify.
Blood and Coagulation Disorders
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Takeda’s Novel TTP Drug Moves Towards First Filing
New Phase III results set stage for a potential US submission in high-need indication of congenital thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura in the next few months if company sticks to initial development plans.

Editas Slims Down To Focus On Gene-Editing Sickle Cell Therapy Race
Editas is seen as a slow developer in the CRISPR-based therapeutics field compared with its rivals but its new CEO has unveiled a new strategy to speed progress.

BioMarin Hopes A Single Warranty Will Make Gene Therapy Reimbursement Simpler
The management team talked to Scrip at J.P. Morgan about plans for launching the first gene therapy for hemophilia A in Europe and the US, and its unique approach to reimbursement.

Jasper Data Show Potential Promise For Anti-CD117 Conditioning Agent
Jasper announced data on the first three patients in the trial of briquilimab in sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia patients, not long after another player, Magenta, announced a setback in its program.
Dental Oral
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Start-up AFYX Applies Ultra-Sticky Patch Technology To Underserved Oral Mucosal Disease
Emerging Company Profile: Patients with oral lichen planus suffer from painful lesions in the mouth that are hard to treat with topical steroids, leaving room for development of a new delivery method for the established clobetasol.
Dermatology
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Sun Pharma Will Take Concert’s Alopecia Drug The Rest Of The Way
Coming up after Lilly’s Olumiant and Pfizer’s ritlecitinib in alopecia areata, deuterated ruxolitinib is said to offer a differentiated profile including patient-reported outcomes data.

Leo CEO Bourdon Plots Return To Profit This Year
The Danish group has cut 300 jobs to shift to an external innovation sourcing model that will make Leo more competitive in the dermatology space and help it break even this year, CEO Christophe Bourdon tells Scrip.

Sanofi To Advance Kymera’s IRAK4 Protein Degrader After Phase I Success
The French major is planning a Phase II trial of KT-474 in atopic dermatitis and hidradenitis suppurativa after the asset fared well in a small Phase I trial, although some analysts remain skeptical.

China's Connect Eyes Partnerships To Globalize Dermatitis Biologic
Watch out Sanofi. US- and China-based Connect BioPharma is looking to position its novel biologic for atopic dermatitis to compete head-on with best-selling Dupixent both inside and outside China in an increasingly crowded space, says co-founder and CEO Wei Zheng in an exclusive interview with Scrip.
Ear
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Acousia To Refresh Stagnant Hearing Loss Space With New Potassium Channel Approach
The German biotech plans to prevent chemotherapy-induced hearing loss and treat chronic hearing loss by targeting a potassium channel in the ear’s sensory hair cells as it tackles a widespread but side-lined area.

Lilly Builds On Gene Therapy Focus With Akouos Takeout
With the planned $487m acquisition of sensorineural-focused Akouos, Lilly makes its second gene therapy M&A play in two years, on top of partnering/financing activity in the space.

Otonomy’s Otividex Fails Again In Phase III Meniere’s Study
Otividex did not significantly reduce vertigo three months after treatment, so Otonomy appears to be moving on from Meniere’s disease and focusing on earlier-stage tinnitus and hearing loss candidates.

Fennec Nears Market For Chemo-Induced Hearing Loss in Children
Cisplatin is very effective but two thirds of children treated with the drug for cancer are left with some hearing loss. If approved this year, Fennec's Pedmark could go some way to preventing that distressing side effect.
Ear Nose Throat
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Fennec Prepared For Market As Pedmark Finally Gets FDA Nod
After successive CRLs in 2020 and 2021, the drug gained a broad label for hearing loss in children treated with cisplatin for localized, non-metastatic solid tumors.

Optinose Looking For A Partner To Optimize Big Opportunity In Chronic Sinusitis
With positive Phase III data for its Xhance (fluticasone propionate) nasal spray in chronic sinusitis, Optinose believes it is poised to expand the target market for the drug 10-fold.

Budesonide CRL Another Setback For Takeda’s ‘Wave 1’ Pipeline
Setback for company's near-term launch goals and US patients with rare esophageal inflammatory condition as regulator asks for additional clinical data.

AZ’s Fasenra Joins GSK’s Nucala In Nasal Polyp Pursuit Of Sanofi’s Dupixent
Further competition to Sanofi/Regeneron’s Dupixent in nasal polyps is on the horizon but the newcomers will have some catching up to do.
Gastrointestinal
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Prometheus Phase II Data For Novel TL1A Inhibitor Impresses On Efficacy
The company plans to move PRA023 forward into Phase III studies based on positive Phase II safety and efficacy data in UC and Crohn's disease, positioning Prometheus in a race with Roivant.

Quick Listen: Scrip's Five Must-Know Things
In this week's podcast edition of Five Must-Know Things: a market snapshot of inflammatory bowel disease; will biotech bounce back in 2023?; Phase III miss for Roche’s Alzheimer’s candidate; how Japan’s top firms did in the quarter; and China showcase hints at policies and strategies.

Sosei Heptares Eyes Asia Build-Out On Internal, External Assets
Japan-UK firm is looking to build on a combination of internal and external assets to pursue a more independent business development path in Japan and beyond, in parallel with ongoing discovery and development collaborations.

IBD Market Snapshot: Payers May Shift Preferred Products To Accommodate New Drugs
Multi-product players may be able to use bundled rebates for preferred formulary status and biosimilars offer a new competitive dynamic, but there is hope for novel therapies.
Gynecology Urology
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TherapeuticsMD Finds New Exit With Mayne Pharma Licensing Pact
After failure to close of a potential $177m buyout by EW Pharma, TherapeuticsMD will resolve its debt by selling its three-product women’s health portfolio to Mayne.

ObsEva Stays Afloat By Selling Lead Women’s Health Asset To XOMA
The Swiss firm has divested yet another one of its key programs in a bid to stave off insolvency and remain a listed company, forcing it to focus solely on a pre-IVF drug candidate.

New Ferring Head Laments Woeful Neglect Of Women's Health
After fighting for years to bridge the gender health gap where many women receive poorer treatment than men from academia and non-profits, Kelle Moley has moved into pharma with Ferring to further her vision.

Myovant Accepts Higher Sumitovant Offer In Deal That Values It At $2.9bn
Sumitovant, a Sumitomo subsidiary, will pay $27 per share for the 48% of Myovant shares it does not already own, for a deal value of $1.7bn, up from a $22.75-per-share bid in early October.
Liver Hepatic
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Ipsen Eyes Opportunity In Rare Liver Diseases With Albireo Buy
The French firm is paying a 104% premium plus contingent value rights of an additional $10 per share to get hold of AstraZeneca spin-off Albireo and its lead asset Bylvay, which is approved for progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis and is showing promise in two other more lucrative indications.

Stock Watch: Tales Of Stock Price Overreactions
Two clinical trial announcements in the same NASH indication separated by almost nine years had very similar stock price reactions despite the known unknowns of NASH remaining unknown.

Inventiva Revises Phase III NASH Plans For Broader Indication
While plans to obtain accelerated approval of lanifibranor remain unchanged, Inventiva now plans to conduct the confirmatory Phase III in cirrhotic patients, meaning a shorter trial duration and possibly broader label.

Intercept Gifts Shareholders With NASH Refiling
Nearly two-and-a-half years after an FDA complete response letter stalled obeticholic acid’s path to the first approval in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, Intercept refiled its NDA on 23 December.
Ophthalmic
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Ocuphire Eyes Phase III Path For APX3330 After Mixed Trial Results
The diabetic retinopathy candidate failed on its Phase II primary endpoint, but showed efficacy on a key secondary endpoint that the company hopes to use as the Phase III primary outcome measure.

Viatris Buys Two Eye Specialists, Setting The Stage For ‘Phase Two’ Of Its Growth Plan
The company will buy Oyster Point Pharma and Famy Life Sciences for $700m to $750m in total as management tries to move the business towards more innovation.

Apellis Aims New Pegcetacoplan Data At Market, Not Regulators
The company said the user fee goal date for pegcetacoplan in geographic atrophy would move from November to February as it submitted longer-term data.

Unity Looks Ahead To Pivotal Study With Positive DME Data For UBX1325
The company announced 24-week results from the Phase II BEHOLD trial in diabetic macular edema patients already treated with anti-VEGF therapy, showing gains in a tough population.
Orthopedics
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Peptilogics’ AI Peptide Platform Could Help Address Orthopedic Unmet Need
Emerging Company Profile: US firm Peptilogics is advancing through the clinic with its lead orthopedic anti-infective drug candidate based on an AI platform that utilizes algorithms to improve peptide design.

Bone Gets Lucky Break At Last With Medsenic Merger
Faced with a scarily short cash runway and an ongoing expensive mid-stage study of an allogeneic cell therapy for the treatment of delayed-union bone fractures, Bone Therapeutics has found a saviour in France's Medsenic.

Spine Takes Yuhan’s Peptide Into US Phase III For High-Need DDD
Major Korean firm Yuhan is seeing progress across multiple novel drug candidates licensed out to global partners, with two now entering pivotal trials. An innovative therapy for degenerative disc disease licensed to Spine BioPharma has received an FDA nod for a Phase III program and may change the standard of care for chronic low back pain patients.

Bone Has Tough Path Forward After Phase III Knee Osteoarthritis Fail
The company said the study of JTA-004 failed to meet its primary and key secondary endpoints, though a post-hoc analysis indicated activity in a patient subset.
Poisoning
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SERB Pays $800m For Boston Scientific Specialty Pharma Business
The sale of BTG Specialty Pharmaceuticals to two affiliates of European specialty firm SERB leaves Boston Scientific with BTG’s interventional oncology and vascular products.

£80m To Tackle Snakebite Is A Wellcome Boost
Two major initiatives have been announced which hope to revolutionize the treatment of snakebites, which claims the lives of up to 138,000 people a year.

Indivior Pact Buys Addex Time For Progressing Dipraglurant And Pipeline
Addex Therapeutics says its licensing deal with Indivior to develop and commercialize its investigative addiction therapy ADX71441 'buys time' to find resources for progressing its own pipeline.
US Capitol Capsule: Move over Ebola! Fake drugs fight needs global attention, too
Much of the attention at the 2015 World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland later this month is expected to be focused on reforming the World Health Organization (WHO) and the failures by the international public health agency in responding to the ongoing Ebola epidemic in West Africa.
Renal
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Abionyx Looks To Next Steps As Renal Sepsis Candidate Succeeds At Phase IIa
The French firm’s lead asset has impressed in a Phase IIa trial in sepsis patients at risk of kidney injury, triggering discussions with regulators for a path forward in the challenging and life-threatening condition.

Vera’s Atacicept Passes Phase II IgAN Trial But Data Pale Beside Chinook’s Pipeline Rival
The US biotech’s dual cytokine inhibitor has hit significance in a mid-stage trial with plans underway for a Phase III study, but concerns about its lacklustre efficacy when compared with a rival candidate from Chinook have taken the wind out of its sails.

Hansa Grows Cash Pile Ahead of Idefirix US Filing
The Swedish biotech has added another $40m to its coffers as it advances its potential ‘pipeline in a product’ for kidney disease.

Calliditas Spies Chinese Market As Tarpeyo Continues Upwards Sales Curve
The Swedish biotech’s successful launch in the US of Tarpeyo for immunoglobulin A nephropathy is progressing well and a Chinese approval is on the horizon as partner Everest’s application is accepted by regulators.
Wound Healing Tissue Repair
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Indo-German Collaboration Delivers Novel Diabetic Foot Ulcer Treatment
Centaur-CytoTools introduces novel topical treatment for diabetic foot ulcers in India, for which they see limited direct competition and hope to change the way the difficult-to-treat diabetes complication is managed. Phase III studies are ongoing in Europe.

AgomAb Raises €21m Series A To Regenerate Damaged Tissues
Ghent, Belgium-based start-up, AgomAb Therapeutics NV secures funds and license to develop HGF-mimetic agonistic monoclonal antibodies for regeneration of damaged tissues.

Struggling Fibrocell To Consider All Strategic Directions Going Forward
Focused on autologous fibroblast cell therapies for rare diseases, the biotech appears cash-poor despite one candidate moving into Phase II and another ready to enter the clinic.

Amicus Drops Epidermolysis Bullosa Candidate Following Phase III Failure
CEO Crowley points to the need to focus on a pair of Fabry candidates, including the pending NDA for migalastat, and notes that other companies have reached Phase III in EB.
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