News

Isomorphic Labs Ltd, a pioneer in the use of artificial intelligence for drug discovery, announced a capital raise of $600 million on 31 March, the company’s first external financing since its launch in 2021. Isomorphic is a spin-out of the DeepMind laboratory of Alphabet Inc, the parent of Google, and led by Demis Hassabis, a Nobel laureate. DeepMind is the developer of the AlphaFold artificial intelligence programme. Isomorphic will use the new funds to develop a portfolio of drugs both in-house and in partnership with Novartis and Eli Lilly and Co.

The European Union member states have agreed to enact countermeasures against US tariffs on steel and aluminium from 15 April should negotiations over trade fail to reach a fair and balanced outcome by that time, the European Commission announced on 9 April. The vote by member states gave support to a proposal from the Commission in response to a US decision in March to impose import duties on the two products.

The UK biotech Epsilogen has significantly expanded its repertoire of antibody technologies with the acquisition of TigaTx Inc, of Boston, US, in order to treat more patients with cancer. The deal, announced on 7 April, equips Epsilogen, a clinical-stage company, with technology and assets of the IgA antibody subtype. These activate neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that is an essential part of the immune system. Epsilogen already has IgG antibody assets, the most abundant subtype, and IgE assets, a less common isotype which can activate macrophages.

GSK Plc has entered into a licensing agreement with ABL Bio Inc of South Korea for rights to a delivery platform for carrying prospective drugs across the blood-brain barrier to treat neurodegenerative diseases. The deal, valued at up to £2.15 billion, is one of the company’s largest transactions, reflecting its interest in treating diseases of the brain.

Arvinas Inc, a US biotech with a portfolio of protein degrader molecules, has reported positive data for a potential treatment for neurological diseases. The data were presented at the International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases in Vienna, Austria on 4 April, showing that the molecule was both safe and able to engage with the cellular target. The target is leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2), a protein that has been implicated in Parkinson’s disease and progressive supranuclear palsy. The Phase 1 study was conducted in healthy male volunteers.

A prospective vaccine against infection from the Nipah virus moved closer to clinical development on 21 March with the award of $13.38 million from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). The new grant follows $3.6 million in funding in 2023, bringing total cash available to $16.98. CEPI, a public-private partnership, is working with Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd of India and the US-based Houston Methodist Research Institute on the project, which will deliver a self-amplifying messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine to the market.

A retrospective, observational study of semaglutide 2.4 mg (Wegovy) has shown that adults who are overweight with an established cardiovascular disease, but no diabetes, were able to reduce their risk of a major cardiovascular event over a period of years. Called SCORE, the trial compared outcomes for semaglutide users with non-users and established benefit for the drug taken as an adjunct to diet and exercise. The study started in 2018, enrolled 17,604 adults, and was conducted in 41 countries at more than 800 sites.

The European Medicines Agency issued a negative opinion on 28 March to Eli Lilly and Co which applied to market its Alzheimer’s treatment Kisunla (donanemab) in the EU for patients with amyloid beta plaques in the brain and mild cognitive impairment. Lilly said that it will appeal against the decision.

Peter Marks, MD, PhD, and director of the US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), announced his resignation on 28 March. His departure, which is scheduled for 5 April, coincides with a decision by the Trump Administration to downsize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the FDA’s governing body, by reducing the department’s workforce by 20,000 people. The FDA is expected to lose 3,500 full-time employees. This follows the swearing in on 13 February of Robert F Kennedy Jr as the HHS secretary.

MaaT Pharma SA of France expects to make its first regulatory submission to the European Medicines Agency in June following a successful Phase 3 trial of its microbiome therapy and a capital increase of €13 million from a private share placement. The capital increase was announced on 27 March, not long after the company reported the latest clinical data for its therapy. The therapy, MaaT013, is being developed for patients with acute graft-versus-host disease with gastrointestinal involvement.