Roche has announced plans to start a placebo-controlled Phase 3 trial of its rheumatoid arthritis drug Actemra (tocilizumab) in adults in hospital with pneumonia caused by the coronavirus. The trial is to be conducted in collaboration with the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). It will evaluate Actemra, plus a standard of care, compared with placebo plus a standard of care.
MorphoSys AG is preparing for the launch, pending US regulatory approval, of its first antibody therapeutic for cancer, marking its transition from a drug discovery company into a fully-integrated pharma enterprise. The product, tafasitamab, is being reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration with a decision expected in mid-August. It has been developed for diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), an aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
UK-based Oxford Biomedica Plc has secured a new agreement to supply lentiviral vectors for gene therapies, this time with Juno Therapeutics, a member of the Bristol-Myers Squibb group. Announced on 18 March, the non-exclusive licence gives BMS access to the UK company’s lentiviral vector platform and is coupled with a five-year clinical supply agreement.
Italy-based MolMed SpA, which is recognised for its expertise in cell and gene therapy development and manufacturing, is to be bought by AGC Inc of Japan which is part of the Mitsubishi group. AGC is offering €0.518 per ordinary share of the Italian company for a total deal value of €240 million. The offer is being backed by MolMed’s largest shareholder Fininvest SpA.
The German biotech BioNTech SE has joined forces with Pfizer Inc to co-develop a candidate prophylactic vaccine against infection from the coronavirus 2019-nCoV which has affected 167,515 people globally as of 16 March and resulted in 6,606 deaths.
The agreement was announced by both companies on 17 March and aims to accelerate development of BioNTech’s vaccine for the disease, BNT162, which is a messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule. The candidate vaccine is expected to enter clinical testing by the end of April.
A Phase 3 trial of a new drug combination for ovarian cancer failed to meet its primary endpoint, AstraZeneca Plc announced on 12 March. The trial was investigating cediranib, an experimental vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) inhibitor, with Lynparza (olaparib), an approved cancer drug that targets DNA damage response in cells and tumours.
A saga involving CureVac AG, one of Europe’s most promising biotechs, entered a new phase on 16 March when the European Commission offered to provide up to €80 million in financial support to help the company scale up development and production of a vaccine against the coronavirus 2019-nCoV, also known as SARS-CoV-2.
Germany-based CureVac has dismissed speculation that it might be the subject of a takeover bid, saying it was focusing its attention on using its messenger RNA (mRNA) technology to develop a candidate vaccine to prevent infections from the coronavirus 2019-nCoV. “Internal efforts are focused on the development of a coronavirus vaccine with the goal to reach, help and to protect people and patients worldwide,” the company said in a statement on 15 March.
A Phase 3 study of the anti-PD-L1 antibody avelumab (Bavencio) has been stopped early after the trial’s data monitoring committee said it was unlikely to meet its primary endpoint. The sponsors, Merck KGaA and Pfizer Inc, announced the decision on 13 March.
Life Sciences Partners BV (LSP) of the Netherlands has raised $600 million for its sixth life science fund, enabling it to invest in 15 to 18 predominantly European private companies developing new medicines and medical technologies. LSP 6 is one of the largest funds in Europe dedicated to this sector. Announcing the fund’s close on 10 March, LSP said that it was able to attract funds from a diverse group of investors including pension funds, insurance companies, wealth managers, government funds and family offices.