Daiichi ditches ADC after early-stage failure
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Today's Rundown

Featured Story

Gilead taps brakes on $4.9B bet after rival's failure, pushing blood cancer data out to 2022

Gilead’s $4.9 billion bet on Forty Seven has run into a delay. Weeks after Takeda’s rival drug flunked a pivotal trial, Gilead has pushed back the release of data from a phase 1b study designed to support accelerated approval.

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Top Stories

AbbVie’s Vraylar turns in mixed results in depression, but pharma decides to file for approval anyway

AbbVie’s antipsychotic Vraylar could get a major boost from a potential expansion into depression. But like some other late-stage contenders, the drug’s clinical results fell short of a home run.

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Daiichi jettisons ADC after flunking early solid tumor test

Daiichi Sankyo’s antibody-drug conjugate team has hit a rare bump in the road, dumping a gastrointestinal stromal tumor candidate after seeing “no clear responses” in a phase 1 trial.

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Sponsored: New Wacker Biotech site in San Diego (CA) serves growing pDNA demand for cell & gene therapy

Plasmid DNA Manufacturing: New Wacker Biotech site in San Diego (CA) serves growing pDNA demand for cell & gene therapy. Learn more about our plug & play platform.

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Signet Therapeutics gets a $10M top-up for next-gen cancer bets

Little U.S.-China startup Signet Therapeutics has bagged a second seed round worth around $10 million as plots a path to the clinic.

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SPACtacular spooky season for Arbor Rapha's blank check; a $180M Entrada onto Wall Street

Another preclinical biotech is hitting the public markets, with rare diseases company Entrada Therapeutics landing on the Nasdaq to generate $181.5 million in proceeds Friday. Entrada's entrance isn't the only IPO Friday: SPAC Arbor Rapha Capital is raising $150 million to buy a biopharma.

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FDA adds new restrictions, warning labels for breast implants following reports of cancer

The agency curbed the sale and distribution of both saline- and silicone gel-filled breast implants, including products from Allergan, Johnson & Johnson’s Mentor division, Sientra and Ideal Implant.

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Alexion children's book series aims to help parents talk to kids about life with a rare disease

Rachel Pegram, who has the rare disease generalized myasthenia gravis, wanted an easier way to explain her condition to her three-year-old daughter. So she worked with AstraZeneca's Alexion unit to create "Klara's Talent," the first in a children's book series to help families discuss rare diseases with their kids.

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HHS proposes nixing controversial Trump-era 'sunset' rule due to massive resources needed for compliance

The Department of Health and Human Services proposed getting rid of a controversial Trump-era rule that would spark a massive agency review of all existing regulations, arguing that the previous administration vastly underestimated the cost of compliance.

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Merck's big earnings in Q3 play second fiddle to enthusiasm for COVID pill's potential

On Thursday, when Merck reported third-quarter earnings that significantly exceeded expectations, the good news was almost an afterthought as the tantalizing future of COVID-19 oral treatment molnupiravir was the dominant topic of an investors call.

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Fierce Pharma Asia—Takeda's GammaDelta buy, FDA warning letter removal; Fujifilm's massive North Carolina plant

Takeda is buying out U.K. T-cell therapy developer GammaDelta Therapeutics. The Japanese pharma has resolved an FDA warning letter regarding its Hikari plant while working on several pipeline hiccups. Fujifilm has started construction of a $2 billion biologics plant in North Carolina. And more.

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Chutes & Ladders—Alnylam founding CEO Maraganore to hand baton to COO, President Greenstreet

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals' founding CEO John Maraganore will hand the baton to President and Chief Operating Officer Yvonne Greenstreet by year-end and remain in a consulting role until the end of March. Medivir named its fourth CEO in two years, snagging a 25-year AstraZeneca veteran. Aadi Bioscience named Gilead's Immunomedics chief medical officer as CMO as it awaits FDA approval of its first drug.

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