News

Bicycle Therapeutics Plc has entered a strategic collaboration with Novartis to pair its peptide technology with Novartis’ experience in radiopharmaceutical development to design new therapies for cancer. The agreement was announced on 28 March and will include a $50 million upfront payment to Bicycle and milestone commitments of up to $1.7 billion. Bicycle’s molecules are synthetic peptides held in place with small molecule scaffolds to form two loops that stabilise the structure. This creates a small binding site for its therapies which are said to achieve very specific targeting.

Galapagos NV has consolidated its drug discovery activities under a new agreement with the French contract research organisation (CRO) NovAliX SAS enabling it to focus on fewer therapeutic areas. Announced on 30 March, the agreement will see NovAliX acquire Galapagos’ research and discovery assets in Romainville, France. Employees of Galapagos at the same site will also transfer to the CRO.

The Austrian biotech company Proxygen GmbH has executed a new collaboration with a large pharma company to identify and develop compounds that can promote the degradation of disease-causing proteins. Known as molecular glue degrader therapies, these small molecule drugs accomplish their task by stabilising protein to protein interactions in the cell, enabling ubiquitin ligases to mark faulty or misfolded proteins for degradation.

Evotec SE rebounded in the fourth quarter of 2022 producing a 29% gain in revenue for the strongest quarter in the company’s history. Revenue for the quarter was €240.7 million, making the total for the year €751.4 million, up by 22% compared with 2021. The company’s service business, which ranges from drug discovery to manufacturing and clinical development, remained strong. In 2022, the company was involved in more than 800 alliances and recorded a repeat business of 92%.

Pharming Group NV has won US regulatory approval for Joenja (leniolisib), a small molecule drug in-licensed from Novartis for the treatment of a rare genetic disorder that impairs the immune system. The disorder is activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase delta syndrome (APDS) which is estimated to affect one to two people per million and can lead to infections in the ears, sinuses and the upper and lower respiratory tracts. Infections usually begin in infancy. Patients with the disease are also susceptible to blood cell cancers like lymphoma, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Germany-based mbiomics GmbH has raised €13 million in a Series A financing round to accelerate development of microbiome-based medicines. These are live bacterial therapeutics derived from the gut that can potentially be directed against multiple diseases.

Dupixent (dupilumab), a monoclonal antibody approved to treat asthma, atopic dermatitis and three other inflammatory diseases, has now been shown to be effective in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the third leading cause of death in the world. Results of a Phase 3 trial of the drug showed that it achieved a 30% reduction in moderate or severe acute exacerbations in COPD, Sanofi SA announced on 23 March. Dupixent is being jointly developed by Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.

The Roche Group has enlisted the support of Eli Lilly and Company to complete development of a new blood test for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. The test has received a breakthrough designation from the US Food and Drug Administration and if approved, would be an additional tool for identifying the low likelihood of amyloid pathology in patients with symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. It could help determine whether these patients should be tested further.

AbbVie Inc has received a complete response letter (CRL) from the US Food and Drug Administration requesting additional information on a pump that is used to deliver its candidate treatment for Parkinson’s disease, the company announced on 22 March. A CRL is a formal notice from the FDA to a company outlining deficiencies in a new drug application (NDA). The agency did not request additional safety or efficacy studies. AbbVie said it plans to resubmit its regulatory application as soon as possible.

MorphoSys AG reported an increase in revenue and a smaller operating loss in 2022 as it tightened its focus on cancer. The German company is completing development of pelabresib, a product for myelofibrosis, and growing sales of its marketed antibody therapeutic, Monjuvi (tafasitamab) for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.