Roche pays $7B for Roivant's IBD drug, battling Merck

Today’s Big News

Oct 23, 2023

BioNTech's new CAR-T manufacturing process boosts potency ...and side effects


Merck exec sees signs of 'prolonged benefit' from Welireg in kidney cancer  


Roche pays $7B to challenge Merck for bowel disease market, intensifying TL1A feeding frenzy


Lilly's Retevmo drives major benefits in lung, thyroid cancers as Roche bows out of competition 


AstraZeneca-Daiichi get clarity on patient deaths for Enhertu follow up, survival data still unclear

 

Featured

BioNTech's new CAR-T manufacturing process boosts potency ...and side effects

BioNTech’s new manufacturing process for CAR-T seems to have done the trick in boosting the potency of the solid tumor therapy BNT211, but that bit of extra juice seems to have upped the side effect profile as well.

 

Top Stories

Merck exec sees signs of 'prolonged benefit' from Welireg in kidney cancer

At ESMO, Merck is encouraged by Welireg's potential to treat clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), a common type of kidney cancer. The first-in-class oral hypoxia-inducible factor-2 alpha (HIF-2a) inhibitor was approved by the FDA in 2021 for the rare von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease.

Roche pays $7B to challenge Merck for bowel disease market, intensifying TL1A feeding frenzy

Roche really was lining up a $7 billion challenge to Merck & Co. Months after a media report about a potential deal, the Swiss drugmaker has agreed to pay Roivant and Pfizer $7.1 billion upfront for regional rights to a bowel disease candidate that is on the cusp of phase 3.

Lilly's Retevmo drives major benefits in lung, thyroid cancers as Roche bows out of competition

Eli Lilly is on a roll with its RET inhibitor Retevmo, with new trial results showing the drug can offer dramatic benefits in the treatment of certain lung and thyroid cancers. This comes just as an experienced competitor leaves the field.

AstraZeneca-Daiichi get clarity on patient deaths for Enhertu follow up Dato-DXd, survival data still unclear

Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca finally have some clarity on the deaths that occurred in two phase 3 studies for their Enhertu follow up Dato-DXd. The gist of the safety update is that more patients in the lung cancer study experienced a key adverse event when taking Dato-DXd compared to breast cancer.

Medtronic claims FDA approval for defibrillator implant routed outside the heart and veins

Unlike other ICDs that are wired into beating hearts through the body’s veins, the Aurora’s electrical leads can be placed outside of the cardiac muscle and blood vessels to help reduce the risks of long-term complications.

Verve's base editing hold lifted, starting a thaw on a regulatory blockade that sent peers ex-US

A nearly year-long clinical hold on Verve Therapeutics’ base editing therapy meant to treat a genetic form of high cholesterol has been lifted in the U.S., thanks to data from an ongoing human trial elsewhere in the world and some preclinical work that has allayed the FDA’s concerns.

Precede's liquid biopsy platform identifies transcriptional cancer biomarkers from blood samples

After introducing itself earlier this month, Precede Biosciences is delivering the first clinical data for its cancer-focused liquid biopsy platform.

Roche's Alecensa staves off lung cancer recurrence en route to postsurgery expansion

Moving drugs into early-stage cancers is in vogue these days. Roche has just posted a trial win for its targeted lung cancer therapy Alecensa that should enable earlier use, while eliciting a sense of déjà vu from a study of AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso.

Cargo Therapeutics prepares IPO to carry CAR-T through phase 2 trials

If it wasn’t enough for Cargo Therapeutics to raise $200 million and recruit a C-suite of biopharma veterans so far this year, the CAR-T-focused company is now eying up an IPO.

Philips recalls handful of hospital ventilators equipped with substandard power circuits

Once again, Philips has been hit with an FDA Class I label for a correction to certain of its respiratory support devices.

McConaughey brings leading man charm to SU2C cancer campaign, focusing on how R&D saves lives

Alright, alright, alright, Matthew McConaughey is lending his smooth Texan voice to a cancer awareness campaign. Working with Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) and Visit Myrtle Beach, the Oscar-winning actor has created a public service announcement to raise awareness of the importance of funding cancer research.

With $385M settlement, Indivior closes out long-running Suboxone antitrust case

The deal follows previous settlements worth $102 million and $30 million with two other claimant groups.

Insulet celebrates Apple season with FDA clearance for Omnipod 5 iPhone app

As Americans flock to nearby orchards for festive bouts of autumn apple-picking, Insulet is celebrating a particularly bountiful stateside Apple harvest itself.

Regulatory tracker: AstraZeneca, Daiichi's Enhertu wins EU nod to treat HER2-mutant advanced lung cancer

In this tracker, Fierce Pharma is recording the regulatory progress of in-market products, including expansions into key geographies and new indications. Some of these updates may not meet the bar for standalone stories, but we think they are still worth mentioning.

PicnicHealth picks up rare disease data collector AllStripes

Both companies have sought to build digital platforms with the ability to tap into patient communities and collect real-world information that could be useful to medical product designers and drug developers.
 
Fierce podcasts

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Leqembi's full approval and the future of Alzheimer's treatment

In this episode of "The Top Line," Fierce's Fraiser Kansteiner engages in a conversation with Alexander Scott, senior vice president of integrity at Eisai, to discuss the full approval of Leqembi and what it means for Eisai and, most importantly, for Alzheimer's patients.

 

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