Roche

The fresh blow to Roche’s hopes in a closely watched class of cancer immunotherapies cast a long shadow across the crowded field on May 11, but the latest setback is not the end of the road for these oncology treatments, analysts say.

A study published in Nature Communications describes how researchers at the United Kingdom Research Institute at the University of Cambridge stumbled upon a potential target of dementia research. 

Amphista Therapeutics forged two significant protein degradation partnerships with big pharma. On May 4, the U.K.-based company announced partnerships with both Bristol Myers Squibb and Merck KGaA that have a combined value of more than $2 billion.

Plexium Inc. and AbbVie Inc. entered into an exclusive strategic collaboration to develop and commercialize novel Targeted Protein Degradation (TPD) therapeutics for neurological conditions.

Regeneron is acquiring Checkmate Pharmaceuticals and entered a clinical trial collaboration with SpringWorks Therapeutics to evaluate REGN5458 in multiple myeloma in combination with nirogacestat.

Two strategic biopharmaceutical collaborations were announced, each merging one company’s innovative biologic technology with a second company that can drive potential therapeutics over the finish line to commercialization.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration placed a partial clinical hold on the TakeAim lymphoma study while the biotech company Curis provides further data to better understand safety and efficacy questions.

Bristol Myers Squibb’s Opdualag – a new, first-in-class, fixed-dose combination of nivolumab and relatlimab, administered as a single intravenous infusion – was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age or older with unresectable or metastatic melanoma.

Maybe Spider-Man was on to something. Although spider silk and synthetic forms have been used for a wide range of applications – including bullet-proof clothing, biodegradable bottles, and bandages and surgical thread – new research suggests it may have a use for cancer therapies.

An experimental vaccine developed by GeoVax Labs Inc. succeeded in promoting development of antibodies that target two different sites on the virus in a small pilot study and was advanced to mid-stage clinical trials, researchers reported.
COVID-19 patients who receive one of the few antibody treatments that works against the Omicron variant must be carefully monitored because after the drug is infused, the virus may mutate and become resistant to it, researchers warned after seeing such cases with Delta variant patients.