The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the first drug to help image tau neurofibrillary tangles in the brain, a primary marker of Alzheimer’s disease. The radioactive diagnostic agent, Tauvid (flortaucipir F18), is indicated for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of the brain to estimate the density and distribution of the neurofibrillary tangles.
A new vaccine to prevent Ebola virus disease has been recommended for approval by the European Medicines Agency following a development programme financially supported by the Innovative Medicines Initiative, a public private partnership. The vaccine’s developer is Johnson & Johnson Inc. The positive opinion was issued on 29 May, just days before the United Nations Children’s Fund reported a new cluster of Ebola virus infections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The European Medicines Agency has signed a contract with Utrecht University in the Netherlands to gather real-world evidence on the safety and effectiveness of any new COVID-19 vaccines that are launched on the market. According to the World Health Organization, 10 candidate vaccines were in clinical development as of 30 May. Most of these molecules are in early human studies, but with pressure mounting to arrest the coronavirus pandemic, the development of the candidate vaccines is accelerating.
Sanofi SA has raised $11.7 billion from the sale of most of its equity holding in Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, a close partner and co-developer of some of the French company’s most successful products. These include the anti-inflammatory drug Dupixent (dupilumab) which has been approved in the US for four indications. The transaction closed on 29 May.
AstraZeneca Plc has disclosed data from its Phase 3 trial of the lung cancer drug Tagrisso (osimertinib) after the trial was stopped in April because of strong efficacy signals. Tagrisso is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The Phase 3 trial, called ADAURA, was treating patients with early-stage disease.
Amongst large pharma companies, Merck & Co Inc has kept its plans for responding to the coronavirus pandemic under the radar. This changed on 26 May, when the US company announced one acquisition and two collaborations aimed at developing both vaccines and a treatment for the disease.
Exscientia Ltd has raised $60 million in a Series C financing round led by Novo Holdings to expand its portfolio of drug candidates generated by the use of artificial intelligence. The company is a 2012 spin-out of the University of Dundee in the UK and is collaborating with several of the largest pharmaceutical companies to generate new small molecule drugs for a range of diseases.
Poxel SA has raised €17.7 million in a private share placement concurrent with the release of new preclinical data for one of its two clinical-stage compounds for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The studies suggested a possible benefit for the compound as a combination therapy, as well an agent for treating other metabolic diseases.
Accure Therapeutics of Barcelona, Spain has been launched by investors in order to develop new therapies for diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). A Series A financing round amounting to €7.6 million was announced on 26 May, led by Alta Life Sciences and supported by the Centre for Technological and Industrial Development, an organ of the Spanish state.
France-based Tollys SAS has raised €2.3 million to advance the preclinical development of its lead cancer immunotherapy, bringing the total amount raised to €6.4 million since the company was founded in 2015. The Series A financing round followed the achievement of preclinical proof-of-concept for the candidate drug TL-532.