Silence Therapeutics Plc of the UK has confirmed that patients with incurable pancreatic cancer benefited from treatment with its RNA interference (RNAi) compound, which works by silencing a gene linked to a protein responsible for cancer metastases.
The Netherlands-based cell therapy company Kiadis Pharma BV is planning an initial public offering (IPO) of its shares on the Euronext stock exchanges in Amsterdam and Brussels to finance the clinical development of a cell therapy that helps reconstitute the immune system after a bone marrow transplant.
Amgen Inc and Roche have decided to jointly conduct human trials in a prospective immunotherapy for cancer that combine’s Amgen’s oncolytic vaccine talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC)) with Roche’s checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab.
Patients with one of four subtypes of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma have shown a response to treatment with a CD-19 antibody called MOR208 which was administered as a monotherapy. Data from the Phase 2a study also showed the drug was well tolerated, according to the developer MorphoSys AG.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company said that its marketed cancer drug Opdivo (nivolumab) has shown a significant survival benefit for patients with non-small cell lung cancer raising the possibility that it could establish a new standard of care for the disease.
Merck & Co Inc said that its checkpoint antibody Keytruda (pembrolizumab) achieved an overall response rate of 25% in patients with metastatic head and neck cancer. The Phase 1b study included 132 heavily pre-treated patients.
Roche said that its CD20 antibody obinutuzumab (Gazyva/Gazyvaro) has provided significant benefit to patients with indolent non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma paving the way for regulatory filings in the US, European Union and elsewhere.
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved sirolimus for the treatment of a rare, progressive lung disease after a clinical trial in 89 patients showed the drug was effective compared with a placebo. Sirolimus trades as Rapamune and is an approved immunosuppressive agent.
The antibody developer ArGEN-X NV has joined forces with the dermatology expert LEO Pharma A/S to investigate an antibody therapeutic for the treatment of inflammation-related skin diseases.
The future of the anti-inflammatory drug brodalumab is under review following a decision by Amgen Inc to quit a co-development and commercialization agreement with AstraZeneca Plc. This follows the observation of suicidal ideation and behaviour in a Phase 3 programme.