GSK’s ‘hard fought’ antibiotic success

Today's Big News

Apr 17, 2023

Merck & Co. inks $11B Prometheus takeover, firing starting gun on race for blockbuster bowel market


AACR: Merck, Moderna show off therapeutic cancer vax data, with phase 3 launch before year-end


GSK offers peek into antibiotic's 'hard fought' success as FDA application nears


J&J opens the valve on $50M MS partnership with Pipeline


Talaris lays off 95% of workforce, C-suite as kidney transplant company fails to find a savior


Vaxcyte's pneumococcal shot holds its own against Pfizer's Prevnar in phase 2 round


Argenx, Genmab pool expertise on antibody discovery, joining forces to expand into new therapeutic areas


With skin in the game, Satsuma's partner offers buyout to get migraine spray to market

 

Featured

Merck & Co. inks $11B Prometheus takeover, firing starting gun on race for blockbuster bowel market

Merck & Co. is paying $10.8 billion to buy Prometheus Biosciences for its late-phase bowel disease drug candidate. Months after midphase data sent Prometheus’ stock spiraling upward, Merck has agreed to a 75% premium over the biotech’s prior closing price to land a challenger to Roivant Sciences’ RVT-3101.
 

Top Stories

AACR: Merck, Moderna show off therapeutic cancer vax data, with phase 3 launch before year-end

Merck and Moderna are rapidly accelerating plans for a phase 3 trial of their cancer vaccine-Keytruda combo, hoping to launch a phase 3 trial before the end of the year. The companies found that the combination reduced the risk of recurrence or death in patients with melanoma by 44% compared to Keytruda alone.

GSK offers peek into antibiotic's 'hard fought' success as FDA application nears

GSK revealed more details about the late-stage success of what could become the first new UTI treatment in 20 years ahead of a planned FDA filing in the coming weeks.

Minimizing Barriers to eConsent Adoption

Michael Hughes, Chief Product Officer at YPrime discusses the benefits and challenges of eConsent implementation and how to circumvent the biggest barriers to adoption.

J&J opens the valve on $50M MS partnership with Pipeline

Johnson & Johnson is turning on the tap for Pipeline Therapeutics in a $50 million upfront licensing deal for an oral multiple sclerosis drug that could net the small biotech up to $1 billion down the line.

Talaris lays off 95% of workforce, C-suite as kidney transplant company fails to find a savior

Talaris Therapeutics was already put on life support back in February, when the biotech axed two kidney transplant trials along with a third of its staff. Now, the company is letting go of 95% of remaining employees.

Vaxcyte's pneumococcal shot holds its own against Pfizer's Prevnar in phase 2 round

Vaxcyte is pointing to new phase 2 data of its pneumococcal vaccine that suggests it can compete against Pfizer's Prevnar. The company is still a couple of years away from producing later-stage data, however.

Argenx, Genmab pool expertise on antibody discovery, joining forces to expand into new therapeutic areas

Two powerhouses of the European biopharma sector are joining forces. Under a multiyear, cost-sharing alliance, argenx and Genmab are opening their suites of antibody technologies to each other to jointly go after cancer and immunology targets.

With skin in the game, Satsuma's partner offers buyout to get migraine spray to market

Even as it searched for a saviour after a series of late-stage trial failures put Satsuma Pharmaceuticals’ future in doubt, the U.S. biotech never lost faith in the potential of its migraine spary. Now, the Japanese company behind the tech used to deliver spray has stepped in to keep the dream alive.

AACR: AstraZeneca offers first look at Imfinzi's resectable lung cancer showing, fueling a key debate

AstraZeneca has offered the first look at the benefit of a PD-1/L1 inhibitor when used both before and after surgery in resectable non-small cell lung cancer. But the data raise more questions than answers.

Medtronic VP Mike Marinaro details the 'full, holistic approach' of the newly combined surgical robotics, devices unit

Last month, Medtronic confirmed that it had quietly combined its surgical robotics and surgical innovations operating units into a single segment, effective Feb. 1. The unit is led by Mike Marinaro, a two-decade company veteran who was previously made head of the surgical robotics business in early 2022.

HIMSS23: Amazon launches new features for hospitals using Alexa devices

CHICAGO—Amazon also announced that its latest Echo Show 15 device will soon be available for healthcare.

AACR: Patient deaths taint Roche's industry-first early-stage liver cancer readout for Tecentriq and Avastin

Roche has detailed Tecentriq’s performance in early-stage liver cancer from a positive phase 3 trial. But a negative sign of patient deaths might raise some eyebrows, and it could force the company to delay a potential FDA filing.
 
Fierce podcasts

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'The Top Line': Which biotechs scored big VC dollars in 2022?

This week on "The Top Line," we talk about biotech’s top money raisers in 2022. We also cover J&J's talc litigation, prison plans for Elizabeth Holmes and more of this week's top headlines.

 

Resources

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eConsent: Flexible Consent Through Enabling Technologies

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The Hematopoietic Colony Forming Cell (CFC) Assay for Drug Safety and Toxicity

The preclinical hematotoxicity screening method that helps clients eliminate bad players earlier in the drug development process

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Accessing and Analyzing Relevant Content in Today’s Information Chaos – R&D Challenges and Opportunities

We’ve identified four must-have tools to manage today’s scientific information chaos. How many are you utilizing?

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Blueprint for Commercializing Cell and Gene Therapies

How advanced medicines commercial readiness differs and the resources needed to maximize potential.

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Coming to America: Keys to Success for ex-US Digital Health Companies Entering the US Market

This paper outlines an approach that digital health / therapeutics companies can use when developing a go-to-market strategy for the complex US market.
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Plan for scalable process liquid and buffer preparation

Preparation of critical process liquids and buffer components shifts resources away from core activities and can be filled with inefficiencies and risks that can increase time and costs across your workflow. Learn about the framework to help reduce your total costs beyond capital and operational expenditures and set a solid foundation for successful scale-up of buffer preparation.

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Running Decentralized Trials at Scale

Explore how clinical supply can be scaled up as decentralized programs progress, and how technological solutions can accelerate trial deployment.
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Key Clinical Supply Issues Sponsors Should Consider with their CRO

As sponsors increasingly look to CROs to support their clinical studies, making and addressing certain clinical supply considerations at the outset of the relationship can reduce the risk of potentially unforeseen impact to budget and time later. Discover key issues sponsors should consider to help their CRO or partner of choice better understand their clinical supply needs.

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Specialized Expertise for Management of Clinical Supply Budgets

For sponsors, cost is a key concern when it comes to managing the supply of their clinical trials. A financial project analyst (FPA) is a specialized expert who can help control clinical supply costs and keep the project within budget. Explore the critical role that a Financial Project Analyst plays in clinical trial supply and budget management.
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Clinical Supply Solutions for the Asia-Pacific Region

Learn how Catalent’s extensive network across APAC can meet a wide range of clinical supply needs for sponsors conducting trials within the region.
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Designing an Optimal APAC Clinical Supply Chain

Discover key considerations that every trial sponsor should know when navigating the complex clinical supply distribution landscape across Asia-Pacific.
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Roles and Responsibilities of Specialized Clinical Supply Experts

How can specialized expertise help you optimize your clinical supply chain? Learn about the roles and responsibilities of unique experts such as clinical supply management, project management, and financial project analysis.
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Supply Services to Support Clinical Trials in Japan & Beyond

Explore Catalent’s newest clinical supply facility in Japan, including the comprehensive services & solutions it offers to help support trials both in-country & around the world.
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Questions You Need to Ask Your CRO About Clinical Supply

Planning on using a CRO to support your next clinical study? This infographic outlines critical areas to address at the start of the relationship in order to ensure that budget and timelines keep on track for the duration of the trial.
 

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