Exelixis rumbles on towards proxy fight

Today's Big News

Apr 14, 2023

Acelyrin, with 3 late-phase trials underway, seeks IPO boost to $400M VC haul to take on Lilly, Novartis


Exelixis accepts Farallon's board suggestions, but dispute wages on toward proxy fight


FDA rejects Eli Lilly's ulcerative colitis prospect mirikizumab, citing manufacturing shortfalls


AKITA trial bites Guard as weak data force early end to phase 2 open heart surgery study


Minghui’s phase 2 win for JAK inhibitor cream sets up potential Opzelura competitor


Soligenix shares take another dip as FDA requests 2nd trial for rare cancer candidate


Chutes & Ladders—Bausch to bring on 2 new leaders as exec departs

 

Featured

Acelyrin, with 3 late-phase trials underway, seeks IPO boost to $400M VC haul to take on Lilly, Novartis

Acelyrin is about to find out whether a once well-trodden path is still open to biotechs that need big bucks to bankroll their plans. Having raised $408 million from private investors in recent years, the immune drug developer now wants public financiers to step up and help it deliver phase 2b/3 data in three indications.
 

Top Stories

Exelixis accepts Farallon's board suggestions, but dispute wages on toward proxy fight

Exelixis is still feuding with Farallon Capital Management, but the biotech’s board likes at least some of the activist investor’s ideas—including two new recommended board members.

FDA rejects Eli Lilly's ulcerative colitis prospect mirikizumab, citing manufacturing shortfalls

Following the surprise FDA rejection of Alzheimer’s disease candidate donanemab in January, another Eli Lilly biologic drug has been met with an FDA cold shoulder. This time, manufacturing is to blame.

The Way Forward: 2022 Biotech R&D Innovation Survey Insights

Where is clinical R&D heading? And to what extent are biopharmas using and applying new approaches such as adaptive designs, DCTs, and ECAs? 33 biopharma executives share their insights.

AKITA trial bites Guard as weak data force early end to phase 2 open heart surgery study

Guard Therapeutics’ RMC-035 has failed to provide the hoped-for protection in a midphase study. With an interim look at the data suggesting the clinical trial was destined to fail, the Swedish biotech called an early stop to the assessment of the molecule’s ability to prevent kidney injury in heart surgery patients.

Minghui's phase 2 win for JAK inhibitor cream sets up potential Opzelura competitor

Following in the footsteps of Incyte’s Opzelura, Minghui Pharmaceutical has reported phase 2 results from its own JAK inhibitor that suggests the Chinese biotech's cream could also be effective against dermatitis.

Soligenix shares take another dip as FDA requests 2nd trial for rare cancer candidate

After the FDA denied approval for Soligenix’s rare cancer treatment in February, the agency has now said a second clinical trial with positive results will be required to accept another request for approval.

FDA warns that Philips has fully fixed 'considerably' fewer recalled devices than online tally may suggest

A year and a half into the repair-and-replace program for its far-reaching respiratory recall, Philips’ website states that 90% of the production of all needed replacement devices and repair kits has been completed, and that 2.46 million of the devices and kits have been “shipped in the U.S.”—but the FDA is taking issue with the latter figure.

Pharma passes tech to climb to 2nd place on ad spend leaderboard amid boom in digital promotions

Pharma has overtaken tech to become the second-largest industry for ad spending in 2023. That is one of a wealth of insights from the latest look at the data from SMI, which found pharma is dialing up spending on established mediums such as linear TV while simultaneously expanding quickly in digital video and podcasts.

Google, Microsoft and startups test out generative AI in healthcare

Tech giants and startups are off to the races to test out the potential for LLMs and generative AI tools in medicine and healthcare use cases.

Chutes & Ladders—Bausch to bring on 2 new leaders as exec departs

A little more than a month after Brent Saunders returned to helm the eye-focused Bausch + Lomb, the company is set to undergo further leadership changes. 

Fierce Pharma Asia—Takeda's gene therapy pivot and pay-for-delay lawsuit; Astellas' write-offs

Takeda has decided to stop preclinical work on AAV gene therapies and in rare hematology areas. The Japanese pharma company also faces an anticompetition lawsuit around gout drug Colcrys. Astellas has taken hefty impairment losses on three assets. And more.
 
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