Entries by Thomas Gabrielczyk

Boehringer steps back from MASH programm as OSE restructure its pipeline

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French biotech OSE Immunotherapeutics is narrowing its ambitions to just two late-stage programs after a one–two hit: AbbVie backing away from an inflammation partnership and Boehringer Ingelheim halting the liver-disease leg of a separate collaboration following a mid-stage failure. The company now says it will concentrate resources on its cancer vaccine Tedopi and its IL-7 receptor antibody lusvertikimab, while pausing or ending several earlier-stage efforts to conserve cash and push toward near-term clinical catalysts.   

NVision visualizes metabolics at work and expands to the Cambridge Innovation Cluster

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Quantum computers? While most people have heard that their massively parallel data processing could open up an entirely new dimension of information technology, tangible real-world examples remain scarce. NVision Imaging Technologies in Ulm has been active in the field for years and has now developed a visible and practical innovation in metabolic imaging: real-time MRI. Leading academic institutions have already expressed strong interest.

Japan’s Asahi Kasei buys antiviral specialist Aicuris in €780 million deal

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Takeover in Wuppertal: Aicuris Anti-Infective Cures AG, which specializes in active ingredients for infectious diseases, is being acquired by Japanese pharmaceutical company Asahi Kasei for almost €800 million (around US$920 million). The company, founded by former Bayer employees Helga Rübsamen-Schaeff and Holger Zimmermann using substances from Bayer, had obtained its own approval and is currently in late-stage clinical development with active ingredients that are currently being presented with positive data at scientific conferences.

Novo Nordisk partners with MIT spinout Vivtex in deal worth up to $2.1bn to advance oral biologics for obesity

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Denmark’s Novo Nordisk has signed a collaboration with Boston-based Vivtex Corporation to develop next-generation oral biologic medicines for obesity, diabetes and associated metabolic diseases. Vivtex is eligible to receive upfront payments, research funding and milestone payments totalling up to $2.1 billion (approximately €1.78bn), as well as tiered royalties on net sales of any resulting products.

Early BioNTech mRNA breast cancer trial delivers surprise in longtime disease control

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A study recently published in Nature on the use of mRNA “vaccines” targeting cancer neoantigens in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has generated considerable attention in scientific circles. However, with only 14 patients treated in this Phase I trial, it is far too early to declare a breakthrough. Still, the highly encouraging data breathe new life into a cancer vaccine approach that in recent years had fallen behind antibodies, ADCs and checkpoint inhibitors.