Respiratory

The US biotech’s lead candidate missed the mark in a Phase III hospital-related pneumonia trial due to low recruitment affected by macroeconomic headwinds but analysts retain high hopes for another upcoming study.

Moderna has moved fast to catch up with GSK and Pfizer, but will still be up to a year behind in reaching the market in the burgeoning RSV market.

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved AstraZeneca and Avillion’s respiratory drug Airsupra, making it the only rescue medication cleared for as-needed use to reduce risk of asthma exacerbations.

The privately owned company currently earns most of its revenues in respiratory medicine in Europe, but has set its sights on expanding in rare diseases and the US market.

After once again showing significant improvements in lung function and a 36% reduction in rate of exacerbations over 24 weeks, Verona is confident that its dual PDE3/4 inhibitor will change the treatment paradigm for COPD.

The UK firm has announced an extension of its series C financing which means it has raised just shy of $150m in the last 18 months to fund clinical development, manufacturing scale-up and preparations for the potential commercialization of opelconazole.

The UK firm has out-licensed its NRF2 activator programme to AstraZeneca in its third major deal of the year as it works to stabilize cash flow through a broad-ranging approach to partnerships. 

GSK’s new R&D leader, Tony Wood, has promised a more hard-nosed attitude to picking winners – including a ‘pragmatic’ approach to the hyper-competitive field of oncology.

Vertex’s dominance in cystic fibrosis looks secure for years to come, and 2023 and 2024 could see it bring more ground-breaking innovation to market.

The major’s monoclonal antibody drug missed one of two primary endpoints in a late-stage eosinophilic esophagitis trial in the second setback this year to plans for label expansion beyond the asthma maintenance setting.

The UK biotech is in a strong spot after extending its cash runway to prepare for the launch of ensifentrine, which analysts believe could become a pipeline-in-a-molecule for respiratory diseases.

With a European approval in the bag for Tezspire, AstraZeneca is looking for quick and successful launches of the severe asthma drug so it can mount a challenge to the other biologics in the space, notably Sanofi and Regeneron’s Dupixent.