Plus, news about Innovent Biologics, Relmada Therapeutics, Zevra Therapeutics, Incyte and Bionical Emas:
Enanta’s Ph2 win in RSV:
The company’s oral N-protein inhibitor
achieved
a 1.4 log decline in viral load at day five versus placebo in the mid-stage trial in pediatric respiratory syncytial virus. A prespecified analysis of patients randomized within three days of symptom onset showed a decline of 1.2 log compared with placebo. Adverse events with Enanta’s zelicapavir and placebo were similar, and there were no treatment discontinuations or study withdrawals owing to side effects.
— Elizabeth Cairns
Carisma Therapeutics to lay off 34% of its workforce:
The Philadelphia biotech
will let go
of
23 employees
and stop developing its lead asset, a CAR-monocyte program called CT-0525. The biotech had
expected
to have initial data from its Phase 1 trial of the asset in the first quarter of 2025. It will now focus on an
in vivo
macrophage engineering platform for potential applications in fibrosis, cancer and autoimmune diseases.
— Kyle LaHucik
Innovent Biologics details early-stage data for its ADC:
It
said
IBI343, Innovent’s anti-CLDN18.2 antibody-drug conjugate, produced an overall objective response rate of 32.6% in 43 patients with CLDN18.2-positive advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who had been previously treated. The data, presented at the ESMO Asia Congress, also demonstrated a confirmed ORR of 23.3% and confirmed disease control rate of 81.4%. Among 26 patients, median progression-free survival was 5.3 months; overall survival data are not yet mature.
— Elizabeth Cairns
Relmada Therapeutics looks for alternatives:
The Florida biotech is
ending
its Phase 3 trials in major depression disorder after saying last week that the rapid-acting NMDA drug was
likely to fail
. It will also seek strategic alternatives, which could include a sale of assets, reverse merger or other deals. Relmada said it will keep running its Phase 1 in metabolic disease.
— Kyle LaHucik
Zevra Therapeutics says goodbye to two execs:
The biotech
parted ways
with its chief development officer Christal M.M. Mickle and chief scientific officer Sven Guenther as part of a reprioritization. It also let go an undisclosed number of people in CMC and clinical development. It had 65 full-time workers at the end of 2023.
— Kyle LaHucik
Incyte’s PD-1 antibody-chemo combo wins in non-small cell lung cancer:
The Phase 3 trial met the primary endpoint of overall survival and all secondary endpoints in patients with previously untreated metastatic NSCLC. Patients taking
the Zynyz-chemotherapy combination
achieved a median overall survival of 18.1 months compared to 13.4 months in the placebo arm. Secondary endpoints included overall response rate and duration of response. Incyte plans to submit a supplemental BLA to the FDA next year.
— Katherine Lewin
Bionical Emas divests CRO to UK private equity firm:
Kester Capital
is buying
Bionical’s clinical research organization, dubbed EMAS Pharma, which will now operate as an independent business. The sale will allow Bionical to focus on its “core” businesses, including its early access programs and clinical trial supply units. No financial details were disclosed.
— Anna Brown
Janux Therapeutics
raised
$402.5 million in its public offering, up from the $300 million it
initially planned
to raise.
— Jaimy Lee