Company News

A radiopharmaceutical which is being developed for patients with neuroendocrine tumours, a rare form of cancer, has delivered positive data from a Phase 3 trial paving the way for a possible regulatory submission this year, according to the developer ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE. The therapy, ITM-11, achieved statistically significant progression- free survival for patients compared with everolimus, a small molecule immunosuppressant that was first approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2009.

Two oligonucleotide drugs are to enter the clinic this year for the treatment of Huntington’s disease and epilepsy using a technology that directly targets the brain and spinal cord. The developer, Atalanta Therapeutics Inc of Boston, US, announced the prospective trials on 28 January alongside the close of a $97 million Series B financing round which will bring the candidate therapies up to the clinical proof-of-concept stage. The financing was co-led by the private equity group EQT Life Sciences and Sanofi Ventures.

The Alzheimer’s disease drug, Leqembi (lecanemab), has been approved in the US for a new dosing schedule enabling patients to continue taking it after 18 months of treatment. The new maintenance indication will enable dosing once every four weeks using an intravenous administration. It will take effect after the 18-month initiation phase of bi-weekly dosing finishes. Leqembi has been approved for patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, also known as early Alzheimer’s disease.

Netherlands-based Forbion has raised €164.5 million for a fund that supports projects in the food, agriculture, materials and environmental sectors. Founded in late 2023, the BioEconomy Fund I represents a different branch of the biological sciences than Forbion’s traditional pharmaceutical holdings. The goal is to support environmentally-friendly businesses that can shape future behaviour and consumption.

Shanghai, China-based YolTech Therapeutics Co Ltd has started clinical development of an in-vivo gene editing product for beta-thalassaemia, an inherited blood disorder that is estimated to involve one in every 100,000 patients worldwide. The disease affects the production of normal haemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to tissues in the body.

AstraZeneca Plc is to invest $570 million in infrastructure in Canada with the goal of executing more than 210 global clinical studies in the country. Announced on 23 January, the investment accelerates a move to place Canada on its map as a centre for global clinical development activity. It follows the UK company’s acquisition in 2024 of Fusion Pharmaceuticals Inc, a Canadian biopharmaceutical company developing alpha-particle radiotherapeutics for cancer. The acquisition of Fusion was completed last year for C$3 billion ($2.09 billion).

Gilead Sciences Inc. has agreed to spend up to $1.7 billion to acquire rights to a package of preclinical assets directed against inflammatory diseases from LEO Pharma A/S of Denmark. Founded in 1908 and majority owned by a foundation, LEO has a global commercial presence in dermatology. The collaboration with Gilead will give the company financial support to further develop a small molecule programme for the treatment of multiple inflammatory diseases including atopic dermatitis, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

GSK Plc is to pay $1 billion upfront and potentially $150 million in milestone payments for IDRx Inc of the US which has an early clinical stage product for the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST). The deal was announced at the start of the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, US, on 13 January. It marks a significant expansion of the UK company’s portfolio.

Johnson & Johnson Inc is to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Intra-Cellular Therapies Inc of the US in a deal that will significantly strengthen its neuroscience franchise. The transaction will be executed at $132 per share in cash for a total equity value of $14.6 billion. Announced on 13 January, the deal is the largest biotech merger since 2023, according to the Axios news website. The lead asset Caplyta (lumateperone), is an approved therapy for the treatment of adults with schizophrenia and depressive episodes associated with bipolar 1 or 2 disorder.

Eli Lilly and Co is to acquire an early clinical-stage cancer programme from the Boston, US, developer Scorpion Therapeutics Inc in order to increase its offering in breast cancer. The candidate drug, STX-478, is an inhibitor of PI3K-alpha. PI3Ks are a family of enzymes involved in cellular functions such as cell growth.