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Today's Rundown

Featured Story

Eli Lilly bets $70M upfront and another $2B in biobucks for Kumquat's immuno-oncology small molecules

Kumquat Biosciences may have said little publicly about its anticancer small molecule platform, but it has caught the eye of Eli Lilly. Committing to more than $2 billion in milestones to join forces with the Roche-backed biotech, Lilly is handing over $70 million upfront.

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Top Stories

New GlaxoSmithKline keeping old R&D model, says embattled CEO

Questions abound over the future of GlaxoSmithKline’s chief Emma Walmsley but its research platform, which recently lost a key player and has been beset by flops and failures of late, may be in more urgent need of attention. That, however, isn’t in the cards.

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Sanofi culls early infectious disease, blood disorder asset as it ramps up phase 3 for also-ran COVID vax

Sanofi has made a small trim to its pipeline today, though its near-term R&D focus remains on the 35,000-strong COVID vaccine test it started last quarter.

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Sponsored: Medical Cannabis from Colombia Can Change Lives

Medical cannabis from Colombia can change lives.

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AstraZeneca drops Dupixent rival tezepelumab in atopic dermatitis as asthma focus sharpens

It's official. Regeneron and Sanofi need not be concerned about Dupixent competition from tezepelumab for the skin condition called atopic dermatitis. Dupixent's asthma franchise, though, is still in AstraZeneca's sight.

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Nuvalent pulls off $166M IPO to move resistance-beating lung cancer programs into the clinic

After taking aim at the customary $100 million IPO, Nuvalent is reeling in $166 million to propel a pair of lung cancer treatments into and through the clinic. The IPO comes just six months after the cancer biotech emerged from stealth with $50 million and two months after it added another $135 million to the bank.

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UPDATE: Annovis touts Alzheimer's drug as better than Biogen, but failed data makes for a bleak day at the stock market

Annovis Bio wants its therapy to be better than Biogen's Aduhelm, but the latest data shows the drug did not improve dementia symptoms, problem-solving, orientation or judgment, among other data points. The company revealed a mixed—and confusing—bag of results from a small phase 2a study Wednesday night at the 2021 Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Denver. 

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Rallybio down shifts to $81M IPO to fuel rare disease programs

After filing to raise up to $100 million in its Wall Street debut, Rallybio is reeling in a smaller sum of $80.6 million. The funds will bankroll several clinical trials, including a phase 1/2 study of its lead asset in a rare fetal bleeding disorder.

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Rakuten Medical rakes in $166M series D following drug-device combo's approval in Japan

Ten months after securing its first drug approval for head and neck cancer in Japan, Rakuten Medical has picked up another megaround of financing, in the form of a $166 million series D, to expand into new therapies and indications. The San Mateo, California-based company said Thursday the series D translates to $75 million in new capital and $91 million converted promissory notes.

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Fruit compound reverses brain damage in mouse models of Parkinson's

The compound farnesol, found in berries and other fruits, could inspire new Parkinson's disease treatments, Johns Hopkins researchers said. In mouse studies, the team found that it prevented the loss of dopamine neurons and reversed symptoms of the disease.

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Straight talk: Pfizer translates high science into plain language to make study data easier to read

Finding clinical trial results for a specific drug can be challenging—but reading through them can be even more daunting. Pfizer and other pharmas are expanding efforts to publish study summaries in everyday language to make them easier to understand and comply with EMA rules that kick in next year.

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Black women's group sues J&J over targeted talc marketing—and demands new ads to counteract the old

An advocacy group says Johnson & Johnson has yet to make things right with Black women after years of targeted talc powder advertising—so it's suing. The National Council of Negro Women this week asked the courts to force J&J to create equally targeted “corrective marketing” and fund outreach efforts to Black women and their families.

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Bipartisan Senate infrastructure deal will not touch COVID-19 relief funds but delays Part D rebate rule

A bipartisan Senate infrastructure deal will not rely on unspent COVID-19 relief funds as a pay-for, but it will delay the controversial rebate rule.

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Exo nabs $220M as hand-held ultrasound race heats up

After raising just $40 million less than a year ago, Exo has secured another $220 million as investors line up to back the company's point-of-care diagnostic device.

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Resources

eBook: Get solutions to market faster

Read Get to Know Cloud Content Management for Life Sciences and learn how to eliminate silos across all workflows, from R&D to commercialization.

Content Hub: Post-Marketing Safety Studies

Learn about key post-marketing safety study solutions, including registries and REMS, and how they can most effectively help meet regulatory requirements and maximize patient access.

Whitepaper: To De-Risk Your Next Trial, Seek Outside Expertise

Engage Independent Expert Endpoint Adjudication and Data Monitoring Committees in a strategic manner to identify methods for retrospective and prospective evaluations that may improve competitive advantage and bolster regulatory submissions.

Whitepaper: Strategies for mitigating supply chain risk in clinical trials

Take a closer look at your supply chain to ensure it delivers with speed, efficiency, and quality — all within budget.

Whitepaper: Evaluating current manufacturing platforms for recombinant AAV production

Choose the right AAV platform for your viral vector-based therapy

E-Book: Digital Therapeutics 101

E-book to get newcomers “up to speed” quickly on digital health and digital therapeutics while also addressing key issues important to those already familiar with the topic.

Content Hub: Process Intensification Resource Center

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

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. 

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.

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