Neurodegenerative disease
Improved survival on display at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago; Pfizer’s unusual pact with China’s Innovent highlights a new type of collaboration; Eli Lilly continues its nonstop deal streak, including with Chinese biotechs; and looking ahead to this weekend’s American Diabetes Association meeting.
Edgewise Therapeutics will now focus on a handful of cardiovascular programs including EDG-7500 for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy thanks to the non-dilutive capital from France’s Servier.
The tragic tale of TIGIT is well known. However, RIPK1, myc, STING and alpha-synuclein have also left a trail of failed clinical trials, canceled partnerships and sunk investments in their wake.
Biogen and Denali’s Parkinson’s disease drug failed to significantly slow disease progression in a Phase 2b study, missing both primary and secondary endpoints.
If Biogen has shown that tau can impact cognition, Denali’s technology—validated with an FDA approval in Hunter syndrome—could ensure the medicine gets where it needs to be for the greatest therapeutic impact, analysts said.
While Biogen’s tau-targeting therapy didn’t demonstrate improvement on a dementia severity scale, the company touted biomarker and cognitive improvements from the Phase 2 study, leaving analysts eager for more data.
Passage Bio, which has been working toward a registrational trial for a drug candidate whose indications include frontotemporal dementia, is exploring strategic alternatives in addition to cutting staff.
The FDA is looking at a slew of label expansions this month, including one that could open up home-based treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s disease agitation could mean peak sales of over $2.1 billion for Axsome’s Auvelity, according to analysts at William Blair.
Corcept Therapeutics’ amyotrophic lateral sclerosis drug was linked to an 87% reduction in the risk of death, a result the biotech hopes to replicate in an upcoming Phase 3 trial.
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