The latest episode of the DDW Highlights Podcast is now available to listen to below. DDW’s Bruno Quinney narrates five key stories of the previous week to keep DDW subscribers up-to-date on the latest industry news. Last week, key breakthroughs emerged in cancer research. Elsewhere, regulatory reforms have accelerated clinical… Read More
News round-up for 13 – 17 April by Bruno Quinney, Content Team at DDW. This week, breakthroughs have emerged in cancer research. Elsewhere, regulatory reforms have accelerated clinical trial set up in the UK. The top stories: Novel therapy could slow tumour growth… Read More
An immunopeptide could help prevent or delay early-stage inflammatory arthritis, research shows. Scientists investigating the naturally occurring immunopeptide PEPITEM (Peptide Inhibitor of Trans-Endothelial Migration) have shown reductions in arthritic joint swelling to a degree comparable to the current standard of care, reducing inflammatory changes that cause joint damage. … Read More
Lilly’s Taltz (ixekizumab) and Zepbound (tirzepatide) used together have been shown to deliver superior efficacy in first-of-its-kind Phase IIIb trial for adults with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and obesity or who are overweight. At 36 weeks, treatment with concomitant Taltz and Zepbound met the primary and all… Read More
Biotechnology company Alvotech has announced the European launch of its first-in-market biosimilar to Simponi (golimumab). AVT05, known as Gobivaz, is a prefilled syringe and autoinjector used for the treatment of adults with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ulcerative colitis, as well as in children with ulcerative colitis. Gobivaz becomes the first marketed biosimilar to… Read More
The world’s first patient has been treated for knee osteoarthritis (OA) using gum cells from a human donor. The patient was treated at Oxford University Hospitals, UK using Allogenic Gingival Fibroblast (aGF) Therapy, a treatment developed by biotechnology startup Scarcell Therapeutics. The therapy is designed to prevent… Read More
Sanofi Ventures has invested in biotechnology company Lifordi Therapeutics, bringing Lifordi’s total financing round up to $112 million. The funding is set to be used to support an ongoing Phase I study in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) by evaluating LFD-200, an ADC delivering a potent glucocorticoid (GC) directly to immune cells. It… Read More
Biotechnology company Lifordi Immunotherapeutics has announced its Phase I study of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment LFD-200 is underway, with positive initial results. LFD-200 is a glucocorticoid antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that delivers a potent steroid payload directly to immune cells, aiming to maintain the anti-inflammatory benefits of glucocorticoids… Read More
Biotechnology company Elevara Medicines has raised $70 million in Series A financing to advance its Phase II rheumatoid arthritis (RA) trial and pipeline. The Series A proceeds, co-led by Forbion and Sofinnova Partners, will support Elevara’s upcoming Phase II clinical trial of its lead candidate ELV001. The… Read More
The discovery of a new regulator affecting immune cells could lead to new treatments to reduce inflammation in diseases including arthritis and severe Covid-19. A large research collaboration, led by the University of Exeter’s MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, has focused on how immune cells sense… Read More
Osteoarthritis may be treatable and reversible, according to a new University of Adelaide study. The researchers have discovered a novel population of stem cells – marked by the Gremlin 1 gene – responsible for the progression of osteoarthritis. Treatment with fibroblast growth factor 18… Read More
AbolerIS Pharma has raised €27.3 million in a Series A financing led by Caixa Capital Risc and co-led by Sound Bioventures and Newton Biocapital. Proceeds from the financing will enable AbolerIS to accelerate the development of its lead programme in clinical trials and explore its effectiveness… Read More
A team of researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California (USC) have found a drug with the potential for curbing painful hyperinflammation from osteoarthritis, according to results of an animal study. The findings indicate that a drug compound, R805/CX-011, may modulate… Read More
New data suggest that AKL Therapeutics’ investigational oral osteoarthritis (OA) drug APPA may have a dual effect on age-related cellular senescence. Senescence, a process in which cells stop dividing, plays a major role in the development of many age-related diseases, including OA. The study,… Read More
The UK Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has granted marketing authorisation for Novartis’ Cosentyx (secukinumab) in two types of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA), and juvenile psoriatic arthritis (JPsA). The drug is approved alone or in combination with methotrexate (MTX) in… Read More
Domainex has revealed human ex vivo data indicating that DMXD-011 could be effective in treating interferonopathies such as lupus, Sjögren’s syndrome, and scleroderma. The drug candidate is an inhibitor of protein kinases TBK1 and IKK-epsilon, which previous studies suggest should be highly-effective in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. The efficacy of DMXD-011… Read More
