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Today's Rundown

Featured Story

AstraZeneca's cancer R&D chief Baselga passes away, as industry chiefs lead mourning

AstraZeneca’s executive vice president of oncology R&D José Baselga, M.D., Ph.D., 61, has passed away.

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Top Stories

Pfizer/Eli Lilly’s anti-NGF osteoarthritis drug works, but FDA says safety risks ‘remained concerning’

Pfizer and Eli Lilly’s long journey to a potential FDA approval for tanezumab still looked rocky today after review documents from the regulator cast doubt over its safety.

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Odonate abandons breast cancer chemo drug, closes its doors

Odonate Therapeutics is ending development of its oral chemotherapy drug and closing up shop after the FDA deemed the drug’s clinical data “unlikely to support FDA approval.” As it winds down its operations, the company will work with clinical sites to switch patients participating in its clinical trials to alternative treatments.

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Sponsored: NK Cells are Now Better Serial Killers

Could native, non-functioning NK cells in cancer patients be rescued and revived by a novel, off-the-shelf immuno-oncology therapeutic that is also a pervasive serial cancer killer? The Data Says Yes.

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Biotech's top 10 money raisers of 2020

Private biopharma companies raised nearly $20 billion in 2020, blowing past the record $17.9 billion set in 2018. Here are the top 10 fundraising rounds, which include some "truly monstrous" financings like Sana Biotechnology's eye-watering $700 million series and Lyell Immunopharma's $493 million raise.

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Sponsored: Avoiding Gene Therapy CMC and Clinical Supply Issues

Gene therapy manufacturing and clinical supply strategies should be in place early to avoid potential late-stage development delays.

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Daiichi takes mRNA COVID-19 vaccine into clinic as Japanese R&D belatedly fires up

Daiichi Sankyo has begun a phase 1/2 clinical trial of an mRNA vaccine against COVID-19. The vaccine is set to come to market well after leading prophylactics but gives Japan a chance to establish its own countermeasures for COVID-19 and future health crises. 

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With early phase 2 data, BridgeBio plots next steps for hypoparathyroidism drug

BridgeBio Pharma’s treatment for a rare hormonal disorder helped patients reach normal levels of that hormone as well as of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium in their blood, early phase 2 data show. The company’s next stop will be a meeting with regulators ahead of a phase 3 study to figure out the treatment’s path to patients.

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XyloCor bags $23M to expand heart disease gene therapy R&D

XyloCor Therapeutics has raised $22.6 million to study a gene therapy designed to deliver VEGF to heart cells. The financing, which swells the series A to $41.9 million, positions XyloCor to study its lead candidate in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

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Stroke-spotting software maker Viz.ai raises $71M to expand clinical reach

Stroke-spotting software developer Viz.ai has raised $71 million to help expand its artificial intelligence programs into other acute care areas—including cardiovascular, pulmonary and trauma care—amid plans to take its business to new global markets.

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Targeted drug prevents heart failure in mouse models of heart attack

People who suffer heart attacks frequently progress to chronic heart failure due to scarring and inflammation that hampers heart function. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine showed that a small-molecule inhibitor of steroid receptor coactivators could prevent that progression in mice.

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AstraZeneca preps COVID-19 vaccine for FDA filing armed with 79% efficacy stat

With the U.S. racing against new COVID-19 variants, a fourth shot looks to be on its way.  In a phase 3 trial in the U.S., Peru and Chile, AstraZeneca’s vaccine—authorized in Europe and beyond, but not yet in the U.S.—posted 79% efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19 and 100% against severe disease.

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Resources

Content Hub: How to improve the virtual work you do every day

We enable virtual work — offering over-time sessions where participants are more focused, insights are more diverse and business goals are met.

Report: New research indicates an accelerated shift to decentralized clinical trials

New research indicates an accelerated adoption of decentralized clinical trials due to COVID-19.

Whitepaper: Roche to pick up GenMark Diagnostics in $1.8B infectious disease testing deal

Roche has inked a $1.8 billion, all-cash deal for GenMark Diagnostics, to acquire its molecular tests designed to screen patient samples for multiple infections simultaneously.

Content Hub: Emerging Biotech Resource Center

A one-stop hub for Cytiva resources to support process development and manufacturing of your novel molecule

Annual Report: Clinical Trial Landscape In Russia and Eastern Europe, 2020.

Find out why more than 400 clinical trials annually are initiated in Russia by US and EU pharma in the free annual report by OCT Clinical.

Report: State of the Industry Report: Embracing Trial Change and Elevating IRT Systems

This industry report reveals qualitative and quantitative candid insight from clinical development insiders and their views on current clinical trial challenges faced amidst uncertainty.

Content Hub: Remarque Systems Resource Hub

Remarque Systems consolidates data, then layers on visualization and automated metrics to generate consistent, actionable data insights in real-time. Click here for more info. 

Guide: How to maximize your drug commercialization investments

Unlock product potential by making the most of your commercialization investments. 

Whitepaper: New Data: A Better Way to Run CHO Cell Culture Experiments

Find out how upstream bioprocess scientists can use Culture Biosciences’ bioreactor system and real-time data visualizations to get faster insights and get their product to market more quickly.

eBook: Optimize Trial Performance with AI-enabled Technology & Advanced Analytics

Unlock competitive advantage with AI and advanced analytics.

Whitepaper: The Crush: How COVID-19 Is Impacting Mature Brand Revenue & Long-Term Value

Mature brands lost billions in revenue and value during COVID, but with the right strategy, pharma can rebound and reignite revenue. Learn How.

Whitepaper: Overcoming the hurdles of Real-World Data Access through a federated global network

Those wishing to unlock RWD’s true value must have access to a variety of data sources/types and the technological capabilities to use the data to uncover meaningful insights.

Free Infographic: The Future of Vaccine Development

Involved in vaccine development? Check out this timely infographic detailing the history of vaccines, key development milestones, and what challenges remain.

Whitepaper: 2021 Outlook for Cell-Based Therapies in Oncology: CAR-T Expansion & Beyond

A look ahead at how cell-based therapies in oncology will advance during 2021-22: research, regulatory, and commercial milestones.

Whitepaper: Seasonal Vaccine Manufacturing

While service directories are filled with CMOs claiming vaccine fill-finish experience, the logistical challenges resulting from seasonal product are unique and it is important that outsourcing partners can ensure quality and on-time delivery.

Report: New research indicates an accelerated shift to decentralized clinical trials

New research indicates an accelerated adoption of decentralized clinical trials due to COVID-19.

Executive Summary: Manufacturing Strategies to Effectively Industrialize Autologous Cell Therapies

Autologous cell therapies have seen propelled growth since 2017, with the spotlight on the first FDA approval of a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell immunotherapy, Kymriah® (tisagenlecleucel), for the treatment of relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

eBrief: Drug Product Process Development: Ensuring a Consistent, High-quality Biologic

Learn about drug product process development challenges and risks, the difference between innovator and biosimilar drug product process development, and more during the drug product process development phase.

Whitepaper: Achieving a Successful Drug Product Technology Transfer

Get insights on key considerations for a successful tech transfer process for manufacturing a biologic drug product, including a case study on overcoming challenges in a process transfer for a sterile diluent.

Whitepaper: The Art of Recognizing Clinical Supply Risk Factors

In a BioPharma Dive industry survey, planning and forecasting were identified as top concerns for trial sponsors. In response to this need, the CSM team at Catalent has developed a methodology for identifying, evaluating, and proactively managing the inherent risks involved in clinical trial supply chain management.

eBook: Expecting the Unexpected: Strategies for Efficient Clinical Supply Management and Forecasting

Learn how to drive excellence within the forecasting process and utilize forecasting throughout the clinical study to better plan clinical supply budgets and project timelines. Explore how to identify potential supply-related issues before they can negatively impact your study.

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