Here are the latest stories being discussed in biopharma today:
After patient outcry, Taysha starts to offload drug programs
Taysha Gene Therapies has started offloading some of its paused drugs after nearly two years of pressure from patient groups who originally funded the programs. Among the programs being returned to universities, it’s still unclear what will happen with two of the therapies. Taysha also revealed plans to continue exploring partnerships for other paused programs.
Sofinnova’s Maha Katabi on recent success and ‘strong’ deal flow
Maha Katabi, General Partner at Sofinnova, reflected positively on the last three months. She’s been part of the boardrooms of two recent M&A exits, RayzeBio and Aiolos Bio, and emphasized that deal flow for the firm has ‘never been any better’. She also noted that funding prospects for drug developers have been stronger than in previous years.
Denali reports a PhII ALS failure as deal with Sanofi hits a bump
ALS program co-run by Sanofi and Denali Therapeutics has hit a roadblock, failing to achieve the primary endpoint in a Phase II trial. This setback follows two other program failures, marking the third derailment in their partnership. The two companies had collaborated on a slate of RIPK1-targeting drugs in 2018.
XOMA to buy Kinnate; A small IPO for a pain biotech
Biotech royalty aggregator XOMA announced plans to buy clinical-stage oncology company, Kinnate Biopharma for $2.33/share in cash. Meanwhile, Chromocell Therapeutics has made its $6.6 million IPO. The clinical-stage biotech company is focusing on Nav1.7 for chronic neuropathic pain and eye pain.
Gilead stops recruitment in CD47 solid tumor trials
Gilead Sciences announced a pause in recruitment for its mid-stage solid tumor trials of magrolimab, just a week after discontinuation of the candidate in hematological cancers due to concerns over adverse reactions. Patients already enrolled will continue receiving the drug.
Inventiva experiences 20% stock drop after reporting serious adverse event
Inventiva’s stock plummeted 20% after it temporarily paused recruitment for a Phase III NASH study due to a potentially treatment-related serious adverse event related to elevated aminotransferases.
Astellas pursues ‘convertible’ in vivo CAR-T cell therapies with Kelonia Therapeutics
Astellas is venturing deeper into the cell therapy field with its agreement with Kelonia Therapeutics to develop ‘convertible’ in vivo cell therapies for difficult-to-treat cancers.
Athos, an autoimmune and cancer biotech, is raising $35M for clinical trials
Athos Therapeutics, a biotech working on autoimmune diseases and cancers, is set to raise $35 million to fund its clinical trials.
