Bristol Myers Squibb is licensing global rights to a Philochem program in development for both diagnostic imaging and targeted treatment of prostate cancer. It follows the pharma giant’s entry into radiopharmaceuticals via the $4.1 billion acquisition of RayzeBio last year.

The post Bristol Myers Squibb Is Paying $350M to Expand Its Reach in Radiopharmaceuticals to Prostate Cancer appeared first on MedCity News.

Antares Therapeutics spun off of Scorpion Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech that Eli Lilly acquired earlier this year. Like Scorpion, Antares is developing small molecules that go after undruggable targets in cancer.

The post Cancer Drug Startup Antares Unveils $177M to Pick Up Where Scorpion Therapeutics Left Off appeared first on MedCity News.

FDA approval of Merck’s RSV antibody drug, Enflonsia, makes it a direct competitor to Sanofi’s Beyfortus. The new Merck product is expected to be discussed by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices; ACIP will have an entirely new roster at its next meeting after all 17 sitting members were dismissed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The post Merck RSV Drug for Infants Wins FDA Nod, But CDC Committee That Will Advise on Its Use Is Gutted appeared first on MedCity News.

Novo Nordisk, AbbVie, and Roche each have weekly injectable drug candidates designed to bind to and activate the amylin receptor to trigger weight loss. Metsera’s contender, MET-233i, is designed with technology that enables longer dosing intervals and the company is proceeding with development of this engineered peptide as a monotherapy and as part of a drug combination.

The post Metsera’s Amylin Drug Looks Good in Phase 1, Shows Potential to be a Once-Monthly Obesity Med appeared first on MedCity News.

Johnson & Johnson has projected its lung cancer drug Rybrevant could achieve $5 billion in peak revenue. At the recent ASCO annual meeting, J&J executive Joshua Bauml explained his company’s strategy for this drug in lung cancer and beyond.

The post J&J’s Growth Strategy in Lung Cancer Borrows From Its Experience in Multiple Myeloma appeared first on MedCity News.

Eli Lilly is partnering with Camurus, a company with technology that extends how long an injectable drug lasts in the body, permitting longer dosing intervals. Lilly plans to apply the technology to its metabolic medicines; the deal follows a similar move Novo Nordisk starting an alliance with Ascendis.

The post Following Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly Lands Partner for R&D of Longer-Acting Metabolic Meds appeared first on MedCity News.

Kura Oncology’s ziftomenib addresses a specific genetic mutation present in about 30% of cases of acute myeloid leukemia. Data from the drug’s pivotal Phase 2 test were presented during the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The post Kura Oncology Drug’s Data at ASCO Support FDA Filing Now Under Priority Review for Leukemia appeared first on MedCity News.

Bristol Myers Squibb’s partnership with BioNTech makes it the third big pharma company to strike a deal to gain access to a PD-L1/PD-1 and VEGF bispecific antibody with potential use in drug combinations to treat cancer. The deal calls for the two companies to share in the development of BioNTech’s drug and co-commercialize the asset globally.

The post BMS Buys Into BioNTech Bispecific Antibody, Putting Up $1.5B to Collaborate in Multiple Cancers appeared first on MedCity News.

Merck KGaA’s pimicotinib led to statistically significant improvement on multiple measures of its Phase 3 test in tenosynovial giant cell tumor, positioning the drug to potentially compete with medications from Daiichi Sankyo and Ono Pharma. The Phase 3 results were presented during the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The post At ASCO, Merck KGaA Shows How Its Drug Measures Up as Treatment for Rare Type of Tumor appeared first on MedCity News.

Astellas Pharma gets global rights to an Evopoint Biosciences antibody drug conjugate that targets Claudin 18.2. Last year, Astellas’s antibody drug Vyloy became the first FDA-approved therapy for this target.

The post Astellas Stays Competitive in Hot Gut Cancer Target, Paying $130M to License Evopoint Drug appeared first on MedCity News.

Pfizer drug Braftovi achieved statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival for colorectal cancer patients in a Phase 3 clinical trial. The results will be presented Friday during the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The post Precision Pfizer Drug Leads to ‘Unprecedented’ Survival in Colorectal Cancer, Data at ASCO Show appeared first on MedCity News.

Messenger RNA technology offers a faster way to develop vaccines to address or prepare for pandemics, and Moderna’s vaccine candidate for avian influenza is on track for Phase 3 testing. But the Department of Health and Human Services has canceled a $590 million contract to support Moderna’s pivotal trial.

The post Bird Flu Threat Still Looms, But HHS Just Canceled a Moderna Contract That Could Prepare for It appeared first on MedCity News.

Rocket Pharmaceuticals adjusted the clinical trial design to include use of approved drug to avert an excessive immune response to its Danon disease gene therapy. The patient who died was one of two who received this drug under the revised protocol.

The post Death in Rocket Pharma Gene Therapy Study Puts Spotlight on Trial Change Intended to Improve Safety appeared first on MedCity News.

Eli Lilly’s acquisition of SiteOne Therapeutics comes ahead of Phase 2 testing of the startup’s lead drug candidate, which blocks the NaV1.8 sodium channel to treat pain. This target has clinical and regulatory validation from the recent FDA approval of Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ pain drug, Journavx.

The post Eli Lilly Commits $1B to Get Drug That Could Rival Vertex’s New Non-Opioid Pain Med appeared first on MedCity News.

In calling for more clinical testing of vaccines in younger people and those who face a low risk of severe disease from Covid-19, the FDA said its policy will compel generation of more evidence for these groups. Our roundup of regulatory news includes notable firsts for Alzheimer’s diagnosis and migraine treatment.

The post New FDA Covid-19 Policy Supports Vaccines for High-Risk Groups, More Clinical Trials for Others appeared first on MedCity News.

Artificial intelligence is being incorporated into more places in healthcare, for uses such as guiding clinical trial enrollment as well as helping physicians get up to speed on a patient’s history. A panel discussed these applications and more during MedCity News’s INVEST conference in Chicago.

The post AI Is Finding Broader Use in Healthcare, and It’s Not Just for Speedy Drug R&D Anymore appeared first on MedCity News.

GSK drug Nucala has expanded its FDA-approved uses to include maintenance treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that’s driven by eosinophils, a type of immune cell. The antibody drug will compete against the blockbuster Sanofi product Dupixent, which expanded its FDA approval to COPD last year.

The post GSK Inflammation Drug Lands New FDA Nod in COPD, Stiffening Competition With Sanofi Med appeared first on MedCity News.

The Alzheimer’s disease drugs that have reached the market in the past two years are antibodies designed to break up amyloid plaques. Vigil Neuroscience brings to Sanofi a different approach: an oral small molecule designed to activate microglia, immune cells that play a key role in brain health.

The post Sanofi’s Neuro Pipeline Expands to Alzheimer’s With $470M Vigil Neuroscience Acquisition appeared first on MedCity News.

Pfizer is in-licensing a bispecific antibody drug for cancer that China-based 3SBio designed to block the proteins PD-1 and VEGF. The deal puts the pharmaceutical giant in a growing group of companies developing bispecific antibodies for those targets, many of them with molecules originally developed in China.

The post Pfizer Pledges $1.25B for Drug Candidate in Promising But Competitive Area of Immunotherapy appeared first on MedCity News.

The law that created ASTP as a formal federal agency gave it duties such as supporting a more effective marketplace and greater competition. Stephen Konya, ASTP’s chief, innovation and strategic partnerships, explained how the agency carries out its mission.

The post How a Tiny Federal Agency Supports Innovation & Competitiveness in the Scientific Community appeared first on MedCity News.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ $256 million offer was chosen the winner of 23andMe’s bankruptcy auction. Drug research never became a big part of the genetic testing company’s business, but it is getting a new life by joining Regeneron Genetics Center, a Regeneron subsidiary that analyzes genetic data for drug R&D.

The post 23andMe Bankruptcy Auction Win Adds Big Piece to Regeneron’s Gene-Based Drug R&D Efforts appeared first on MedCity News.

Apnimed’s obstructive sleep apnea drug reduced breathing interruptions in a Phase 3 clinical trial. The once-nightly pill, which is based on research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, activates muscles that keep the upper airway open during sleep.

The post Sleep Apnea Relief in a Pill: Apnimed Drug’s Phase 3 Data Set Stage for FDA Submission appeared first on MedCity News.

Fujirebio Diagnostics’ blood test for Alzheimer’s disease offers a less expensive and less invasive alternative compared to medical imaging and tests of cerebrospinal fluid. But competition looms from blood-based tests in development by other diagnostics companies.

The post Alzheimer’s Disease Now Has Its First FDA-Cleared Blood Test appeared first on MedCity News.

Inozyme Pharma’s main asset is in pivotal testing in children who have a rare enzyme deficiency that affects bones and blood vessels. BioMarin Pharmaceutical, already well established in enzyme replacement, said it will use its experience and infrastructure to grow the market for this product, potentially for several indications.

The post BioMarin’s $270M Inozyme Acquisition Brings Drug That Could Become First for a Rare Disease appeared first on MedCity News.

Emrelis, an antibody drug conjugate developed by AbbVie, is now FDA approved for patients whose non-small cell lung cancer overexpresses the protein c-Met. The pharma company said this ADC is its first internally developed solid tumor medicine as well as its first solid tumor FDA approval in lung cancer.

The post AbbVie’s Solid Tumor Strategy Gets a Win With Accelerated FDA Approval in Lung Cancer appeared first on MedCity News.

GSK is acquiring Boston Pharmaceuticals’ efimosfermin, which posted Phase 2 results showing improvement in fibrosis and resolution of MASH. GSK said this fusion protein will complement an siRNA drug it is currently developing for liver diseases.

The post GSK Makes a Big Liver Disease Move With $1.2B Deal for Phase 3-Ready MASH Drug appeared first on MedCity News.

Galapagos has dropped plans for a business separation that would have enabled the legacy company to focus exclusively on developing new cancer cell therapies. Instead, Galapagos said it will pursue strategic alternatives for its assets.

The post Galapagos Says ‘No’ to SpinCo and Instead Will Seek Deals for All Assets appeared first on MedCity News.

President Trump’s executive order provides a framework for tying the prices of U.S. pharmaceutical products to the lower prices paid in other countries, what’s called most-favored-nation pricing. If drug companies do not lower their prices accordingly, the order proposes other strategies, such as importing drugs from other countries.

The post Trump Strategy to Rein In Drug Prices Revives ‘Most-Favored Nation’ Plan of His First Term appeared first on MedCity News.

Eli Lilly reported that in addition to achieving greater reductions in weight, Zepbound-treated patients achieved greater reductions in waist circumference compared to those treated with Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy. Full details from the head-to-head Phase 3 test were presented at the European Congress on Obesity meeting.

The post Details From Head-to-Head Phase 3 Test Give Fuller Picture of Zepbound’s Edge Over Wegovy appeared first on MedCity News.

Verastem Oncology developed its drug combination for low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC) driven by KRAS mutations. As the first treatment specifically approved for this rare cancer, clinicians expect it will become the new standard of care.

The post Accelerated FDA Approval Makes Verastem Drug the First Therapy for Rare Type of Ovarian Cancer appeared first on MedCity News.