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Today's Rundown

Featured Story

NGM’s closely-watched NASH prospect flops, cutting shares in half and spurring R&D rethink

A phase 2b trial of NGM Biopharmaceuticals’ aldafermin in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis has missed its primary endpoint, sending shares in the biotech tumbling. NGM has pulled plans to enter phase 3 in light of the midstage failure of the FGF19 analog.

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Top Stories

Takeda’s dengue shot keeps 84% of kids out of hospital regardless of prior infection, giving it a leg up over Sanofi's Dengvaxia

With filings under way in Europe, Brazil, and a trio of Southeast Asian nations, Takeda unveiled long-term data for its dengue vaccine, showing the shot’s efficacy waned over time but that it was still "robust” at keeping people out of hospital. The two-dose vaccine was 62.0% effective at preventing dengue infection three years after participants received the second dose, the latest data show.

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ASCO: J&J's subcutaneous bispecifics tackle multiple myeloma in phase 1

Johnson & Johnson finished the FDA filing for its anti-BCMA CAR-T in multiple myeloma last month, but that doesn’t mean it’s letting off the gas. The drugmaker revealed phase 1 data for two bispecific antibodies showing they shrank the tumors of about 70% of patients whose cancer got worse despite trying several other treatments, including the three main types of myeloma-fighting drugs.

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Centessa Pharma hoping for $250M IPO to top January series A and fund initial drug development

Centessa Pharmaceuticals, with four clinical and a dozen preclinical programs, expects its initial public offering to be slightly over the $250 million raised in a January series A. The largest single recipient of Centessa’s IPO proceeds and existing cash will be a phase 3 safety study and pivotal trial for lixivaptan, which will consume about $110 million.

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Eliem raises $60M to take neuro programs to series of data drops

Eliem Therapeutics has raised $60 million to advance treatments for neuronal excitability disorders. The series B round equips Eliem to take its lead candidates to multiple clinical readouts in patients with chronic pain, depressive disorders and epilepsy.

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Fine-tuning the brain's immune cells to tackle Alzheimer's

In the brain, microglia cells are responsible for removing unwanted debris, and their dysfunction is known to play a part in Alzheimer's disease. Now, an international group of scientists have identified the expression of the Hif1a gene as characteristic of actively garbage-engulfing microglia, suggesting it could offer a new target for developing drugs against the disorder.

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The top 15 highest-paid biopharma CEOs of 2020

As COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics reach the public, the companies involved in the pandemic fight have laid out some eye-popping pay packages for their chief executives. One in particular, coming in at more than $135 million, will likely set a benchmark for years to come. Meanwhile, pandemic players weren't the only ones to reward their helmsmen handsomely in 2020.

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Breathonix's 60-second COVID-19 breathalyzer test receives provisional green light in Singapore

Singapore’s Ministry of Health will use the BreFence Go system to test incoming travelers at the Tuas Checkpoint between Singapore and Malaysia, where a negative test is required to enter the city-state.

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Resources

eBook: Improving Diversity and Inclusion in Clinical Trials

Create a more diverse and inclusive clinical trial enrollment and engagement environment by learning about the barriers to participation and the strategies to overcome them.

Whitepaper: Closed Cell Processing System Benefits for Cell & Gene Therapy

Autologous cell and gene therapy workflows involve isolating cells from an individual, engineering the cells, expanding and concentrating them, and infusing them back into the patient. Optimized automation of certain steps of the workflow may decrease hands-on time and the cost of the cell manufacturing process.

Guide: Your Guide to Overcome Inconsistent Clinical Data Standards

Learn how to develop a standards program that has your full team’s buy-in and improves the efficiency and quality of your clinical trials.

Whitepaper: The Journey to a Global Modular Content Strategy

One top 10 pharma outlines three key steps to launching a modular content strategy to generate localized content faster.

E-Book: 7 Keys to Success in Europe

This 77-page e-book explores 7 keys to success that any biopharma company needs to keep in mind as it enters Europe.

Executive Brief: Seven Secrets to Patient Experience Breakthroughs: Improving the Patient Experience and Study Retention

The average clinical trial spends $40,000 per patient. Yet despite these high costs, most trials struggle to retain patients.

Article: Make the right move at every step of the drug commercialization process

Developing a quality product and getting it approved for distribution is not enough to guarantee commercial success.

eBook: The New Standard: Virtual Study Training in Clinical Trials

The new standards in study training help sponsors and CROs reduce costs by 60%, cut training time by 50%, and start enrollment 55 days faster – learn more today.

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.

Content Hub: Process Intensification Resource Center

A one-stop hub for Cytiva resources to support process intesification

Whitepaper: COVID-19 Survey report: The Lasting Impact on Outsourcing Decisions

How has COVID-19 impacted CRO/CDMO customer (dis)satisfaction and outsourcing decisions for pharma and biotech companies in 2021 and beyond?

Content Hub: Emerging Biotech Resource Center

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

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: 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. 

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.

Events