A Novo GLP-1 could protect the brain from Alzheimer's

Today’s Big News

Jul 31, 2024

Takeda takes $140M charge on failed epilepsy drug, while touting continued FDA potential


GSK drops phase 2 HPV vaccine over lack of best-in-class potential


Novo's GLP-1 liraglutide may protect brain from Alzheimer's, new study finds


Ideaya, eyeing drug combos, bags option on Biocytogen bispecific ADC in $400M deal 


FibroGen lays off 75% of US staff as cancer drug flunks 2 more trials


Tracon winds down weeks after world's first injectable PD-L1 inhibitor stumbles in phase 2


AC Immune claims new class of Alzheimer's-focused ADC has 'landmark' CNS potential 


Fierce Biotech Fundraising Tracker '24: AIRNA ascends with $90M series A; Confo cashes in $65M

The Top Line Podcast: Don’t miss out on the newest episode. Listen now.

 

Featured

Takeda takes $140M charge on failed epilepsy drug, while touting continued FDA potential

We already know that Takeda is hoping to find a path to the FDA for epilepsy medicine soticlestat despite a phase 3 miss, but the Japanese pharma has now revealed that the clinical trial failure will cost to company just over $140 million.
 

Top Stories

GSK drops phase 2 HPV vaccine over lack of best-in-class potential

GSK has scrapped a phase 2 human papillomavirus vaccine from its pipeline after deciding the asset won’t have best-in-class potential.

Novo's GLP-1 liraglutide may protect brain from Alzheimer's, new study finds

An old GLP-1 that has since been outshined by Ozempic may have a new path to the limelight. In a small phase 2 trial of patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease, Novo Nordisk’s liraglutide slashed cognitive decline by 18%.

InMed’s INM-901 Demonstrates Potential as a Multi-factorial Approach to Treating Alzheimer’s Disease

InMed Pharmaceuticals recently released preclinical data indicating its proprietary, small molecule compound, INM-901, targets multiple biological pathways associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Ideaya, eyeing drug combos, bags option on Biocytogen bispecific ADC in $400M deal

Ideaya Biosciences is betting $400 million in biobucks that a bispecific antibody-drug conjugate can turbocharge the effect of its DNA damage repair molecules. The West Coast biotech dangled the cash to secure an option on a preclinical program in development at Biocytogen.

FibroGen lays off 75% of US staff as cancer drug flunks 2 more trials

FibroGen is radically restructuring its business, laying off 75% of its U.S. staff and stopping investment in its lead candidate in response to the failure of two late-phase pancreatic cancer clinical trials.

Tracon winds down weeks after world's first injectable PD-L1 inhibitor stumbles in phase 2

Tracon Pharmaceuticals has decided to wind down operations weeks after an injectable immune checkpoint inhibitor that was licensed from China flunked a pivotal trial in a rare cancer.

AC Immune claims new class of Alzheimer's-focused ADC has 'landmark' CNS potential

The Swiss biotech presented preclinical results on its new Morphomer-antibody drug conjugate platform at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on July 29.

Fierce Biotech Fundraising Tracker '24: AIRNA ascends with $90M series A; Confo cashes in $65M

Welcome to Fierce Biotech's Fundraising Tracker, 2024's version.

Sanofi sues Sarepta, claiming Duchenne gene therapy Elevidys infringes 2 manufacturing patents

Six months after surviving a patent challenge involving its $3.2 million gene therapy, Sarepta faces a new lawsuit from another gene therapy developer claiming the approved treatment infringes active patents. Sanofi subsidiary Genzyme has filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Delaware claiming that in producing groundbreaking Duchenne muscular dystrophy treatment Elevidys, Sarepta encroaches on two of its patents involving the manufacture of viral vectors.

inFormed launches program to send clinical trial consent to patient phones

Digital technology company inFormed Consent has partnered with healthcare business development firm trifermed to launch a platform that will allow researchers to obtain informed consent from clinical trial participants remotely.

Eisai, Biogen show Leqembi provides added benefits over time as Alzheimer's showdown with Lilly heats up

Three-year data from a study of early Alzheimer’s disease patients on Eisai and Biogen’s Leqembi showed that longer-term use provides continued benefits without additional safety concerns.

Fertility and period tracking app Flo Health banks $200M to reach unicorn status

Flo Health, a reproductive and menstrual health app, secured $200 million in series C funding, boosting its valuation to more than $1 billion, the company announced Tuesday.
 
Fierce podcasts

Don’t miss an episode

Fierce 15: Where are they now?

In this week’s episode of "The Top Line," Fierce Biotech’s Annalee Armstrong highlights some of the most promising companies that made our prestigious Fierce 15 list back in 2014. 
 

Resources

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Launching a Product in Europe: Understanding Supply Chain Cost Drivers

This paper explores the costs of setting up a supply chain in Europe for a new biopharma therapy. It outlines key cost drivers & the various levers decision makers can use to affect those costs.
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Efficient-Pro Medium and Feed 1 enable rapid and seamless upstream process development and scale-up for CHO-K1 cells

Download the white paper to learn how this innovative solution can help optimize your mAb production processes. The findings demonstrate the system's robust capability to sustain strong cell growth and high productivity, facilitating a smooth transition from laboratory to production scale.
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An Integrated End-to-End Approach to Antibody Drug Conjugate Development and Manufacturing

In this white paper, Lonza experts delve into the common challenges encountered by ADC developers. They explore new drug product capabilities in relation to cytotoxic drug development and manufacturing, therefore fully completing Lonza’s integrated ADC offering. Further, they discuss how this end-to-end approach can significantly accelerate the timeline to investigational new drug filing and beyond. Read this white paper to learn more.
Whitepaper

2024 Life Sciences Industry Outlook

The definitive report on the state of our industry.  Readers will gain an understanding of key indicators to monitor, future predictions, and guidance for investors and founders navigating the therapeutic enabling tools and services, healthtech and techbio sectors through 2024 and beyond.
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The “Best Practice Organization” & Its Importance for Success in Today’s Biopharma Industry

In a complex industry like biopharma, being a “Best Practice Organization” (BPO) is essential to success. But what is a BPO & how do you build one? This eBook provides the answers.
 

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On Helix

Date: ‌4 ‌July ‌2024 ‌- ‌Location: ‌Babraham ‌Research ‌Campus, ‌Cambridge ‌UK

 

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