AbbVie Inc has joined the competition amongst large pharma companies for leadership of the market for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with the proposed acquisition of ImmunoGen Inc of Waltham, Massachusetts for $31.26 per share in cash or an enterprise value of $10.1 billion. The acquisition was announced on 30 November and is expected to complete in the middle of 2024.
A Phase 3 trial of a medicine for primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), an autoimmune disorder that can lead to excessive bleeding and anaemia, has failed to meet its primary and secondary endpoints, the developer argenx SE announced on 28 November. The drug, Vyvgart Hytrulo (efgartigimod alfa), is an antibody fragment targeting the neonatal Fc receptor. Vyvgart has been approved in the US for generalised myasthenia gravis, another autoimmune disease, in both intravenous and subcutaneous formulations.
Immunocore Holdings Plc, a developer of T cell receptor immunotherapies, has reported third quarter revenue for its first approved product, Kimmtrak (tebentafusp), for metastatic uveal melanoma. The therapy was approved in both the US and the EU in 2022. In the third quarter Kimmtrak delivered net sales of £49.7 million, an increase of 9% from a year earlier. Of this sum, £34.5 million was generated in the US; £15 million from Europe; and £0.2 million from the rest of the world.
Artificial Intelligence
The role of AI in pharmaceuticals
By Vincenzo Salvatore
Policy and Regulation
EMA launches consultation on AI
By Peter Charlish
Research Strategy
Reviving the promise of dendritic cell therapies
By Justin Duckworth
Oncology Review
ESMO conference features new drug combinations
By Vittore Tamassia and Bruno Pagliara
Corporate Strategy
Interview with Astex Pharmaceuticals
