Vertex, busy with Casgevy, plots another launch

Today’s Big News

Nov 5, 2024

AstraZeneca stock tanks over fears of expanding China fraud probe


ASH: New Gilead-Arcellx data build CAR-T’s case against Carvykti in advanced multiple myeloma


Vertex's Casgevy breaks ground with 1st commercial patient infusions as company readies another major launch for 2025


ASH: Sanofi’s BTK inhibitor raises platelet levels in 23% of ITP patients in phase 3


Abbott posts positive, longer-term data for its dissolving Esprit BTK stent


Madrigal’s Rezdiffra has launched a new MASH market, but ‘tremendous change’ is on the horizon

 

Featured

AstraZeneca stock tanks over fears of expanding China fraud probe

AstraZeneca’s stock price dropped by 8.4% during Tuesday’s trading in London after a report fueled fears of a potentially escalating insurance fraud investigation in China.
 

Top Stories

ASH: New Gilead-Arcellx data build CAR-T's case against Carvykti in advanced multiple myeloma

Arcellx has shared several data cuts on anito-cel, a CAR-T being developed with Gilead’s Kite Pharma to treat relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. After seeing the data, analysts underscored the therapy’s best-in-class potential compared to Johnson & Johnson and Legend Biotech's FDA-approved treatment Carvykti.

Vertex's Casgevy breaks ground with 1st commercial patient infusions as company readies another major launch for 2025

With its first Casgevy revenues in the books, Vertex lifted its full-year sales outlook as it turns its attention to two product launches in 2025, including an expected new entrant in the pain market.

ASH: Sanofi's BTK inhibitor raises platelet levels in 23% of ITP patients in phase 3

Sanofi has released phase 3 data from the LUNA 3 trial of rilzabrutinib that should spark some buyer’s delight. The drug, which the French pharma giant acquired through a buyout of Principia Biopharma in 2020, raised and sustained platelet levels in 23% of immune thrombocytopenia patients who received it, compared to none in the placebo arm.

Abbott posts positive, longer-term data for its dissolving Esprit BTK stent

In patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia, the drug-eluting scaffold cut the number of repeat procedures by about half in two years.

Madrigal’s Rezdiffra has launched a new MASH market, but ‘tremendous change’ is on the horizon

With the FDA approval of the first specific drug for Metabolic Associated Steatohepatitis (MASH) in March this year, Madrigal’s Rezdiffra is a pioneer in a market set for rapid change.

Beam hits hemoglobin goal in first base editing clinical data, reports death tied to conditioning drug

Beam Therapeutics has presented the first clinical data on its base editing technology. All four sickle cell disease patients in the efficacy cohort had fetal hemoglobin levels above Beam’s target—and the result achieved by Vertex’s rival therapy—but one patient died, likely as a result of the conditioning regimen.

Syndax inks $350M deal with Royalty Pharma for funding to launch 2 new drugs

With its first FDA approval coming in August and a second expected next month, these are exhilarating days for 19-year-old Syndax Pharmaceuticals as it transforms into a commercial enterprise. To help foot the bill to launch its approved graft-versus-host disease drug Niktimvo and the expected launch of its leukemia treatment revumenib, Syndax has struck a $350 million deal with Royalty Pharma.

Sana strips back cancer, CNS programs as cell therapy biotech warns of further layoffs

Sana Biotechnology has become the latest cell therapy biotech to shift resources from cancer to autoimmune diseases, as part of a strategic refocus that sounds likely to include a side order of layoffs.

Intra-Cellular's unstoppable Caplyta nails another trial, this time for relapse prevention in schizophrenia

Intra-Cellular Therapies’ atypical antipsychotic medication Caplyta has been on a roll, delivering fast commercial growth and coming up triumphant in yet another late-stage trial.

Inquis Medical draws up $40M to fund blood clot removal system

Inquis' Aventus thrombectomy system received FDA clearances earlier this year for clearing out peripheral blood vessels and venous thromboembolism.

Arrowhead targets rare disease patients, pushing message that hope is on the horizon

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals has begun laying the groundwork for its entry into a rare disease market, kicking off an awareness campaign focused on the unmet need its drug candidate is positioned to serve.
 
Fierce podcasts

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Drug pricing and the 2024 presidential election

This week on "The Top Line," we explore how each presidential candidate’s approach to drug pricing could shape future policy.
 

Resources

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Planning for success in cell-based manufacturing

Learn how to evaluate quality documentation to help you select the right raw materials at early decision points for your cell-based manufacturing processes.
 

Industry Events

On Helix

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

 

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