国际新闻精选周三（2017年1月25日）

Asco-GI – Pancreatic cancer field awaits sparse data

Afer a year in which the pancreatic cancer pipeline lost five phase III agents to clinical failure, investigators are anxiously looking for signs of progress in this notoriously difficult field.

Discussion at the Asco-GI symposium centred on why so many agents had failed recently, as well as which of the new strategies could be the most promising (see table below). At a keynote lecture on Friday Dr Volker Ellenreider, of the University of Goettingen, highlighted two relatively new phase III entrants: Halozyme’s pegPH20 and the little-known napabucasin, being developed by Daiichi Sankyo’s Boston Biomedical unit.【阅读全文】

Speedy EU review for AbbVie’s pan-genotypic hep C therapy

European regulators are undertaking a speedy review of AbbVie's investigational, pan-genotypic regimen of glecaprevir (ABT-493)/pibrentasvir (ABT-530) (G/P) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (HCV) in all major genotypes.

According to the firm, the G/P regimen could provide a shorter, eight week, once-daily, ribavirin-free treatment option for the majority of HCV patients without cirrhosis, as well as an additional treatment option to patients with compensated cirrhosis (Child-Pugh A).【阅读全文】

Life for kinase inhibitors in an immuno-oncology world

At a time when immuno-oncology is all the rage it is tempting to write off small-molecule approaches targeting kinases as yesterday’s science. But the funding progress of at least two biotechs suggests that this strategy has plenty of life left in it yet.

Blueprint Medicines and Deciphera were both founded on the promise of kinase inhibition, and have captured investors’ imagination, respectively raising $169m in a float and $175m in private money. If the route each group is taking indicates growing complexity, it does at least show a clear rationale for developing a new generation of kinase inhibitors.【阅读全文】

MDB Capital leads I-O startup Cue Biopharma in $26M raise

Two years after being founded, Cambridge, Massachusetts, upstart Cue Biopharma has raised $26 million to help advance its work using biologics to target T cell receptors to help patients’ immune systems defeat cancer and autoimmune diseases.

The total $26 million of invested private capital was led by MDB Capital Group, with $10 million of initial seed funding followed up by the $16.4 million in extra financing.【阅读全文】

FDA Accepts BeyondSpring IND Application for Plinabulin for the Prevention of Chemotherapy-Induced Neutropenia

NEW YORK, Jan. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- BeyondSpring Pharmaceuticals, a global clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative immuno-oncology cancer therapies, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the Company's Investigational New Drug (IND) application to initiate Phase 2 / 3 trials for its innovative lead asset, Plinabulin, for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced Neutropenia.【阅读全文】

Merus Announces Closing of Global Strategic Research Collaboration with Incyte to Discover and Develop Bispecific Antibodies

Merus N.V. (NASDAQ:MRUS) a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing innovative bispecific antibody therapeutics, today announced the closing of its global strategic research collaboration with Incyte Corporation (NASDAQ:INCY) focused on the research, discovery and development of bispecific antibodies utilizing Merus’ proprietary Biclonics® technology platform. The agreement grants Incyte the exclusive rights for up to eleven bispecific antibody research programs, including two of Merus’ current preclinical immuno-oncology discovery programs.【阅读全文】

Key J&J meds disappoint in Q4, triggering a top-line miss

Johnson & Johnson is facing a variety of strong headwinds across its business lines, from currency fluctuations to generic competition on some of its previous blockbusters. But perhaps more alarming to investors is that in Q4, its newer pharma products—including Invokana and Imbruvica—couldn't bail the company out.

J&J said Tuesday that its sales in the quarter rose 1.7% to $18.1 billion, missing the consensus analyst estimate of $18.2 billion. Earnings came in at $4.4 billion excluding some amortization expenses and special items, or $1.58 per share. That figure slightly exceeded expectations, though the company seems to have benefited from a lower-than-expected tax rate in the U.S. The company’s shares fell 2% when the market opened to $111.58.【阅读全文】

Hope Biosciences Licenses nuc-Gemcitabine, A 'Trojan Horse' Anti-nucleolin-Gemcitabine Aptamer Drug Conjugate Against Cancer

HOPE BIOSCIENCES announced today that it has acquired the exclusive rights to develop and commercialize nuc-gemcitabine™ (APTA-12/HOPE-888) through a licensing agreement with AptaBio Therapeutics, a Korean pharmaceutical company.

nuc-Gemcitabine consists of Antisoma's AS1411*, a clinically-tested DNA aptamer against surface nucleolin found on many cancer cells, and dFdCMP, an activated form of gemcitabine. Unlike ADCs (antibody drug conjugates) or SMDCs (small molecule drug conjugates), which require 'linker' conjugation of the cytotoxic payload to the drug, nuc-gemcitabine is created by incorporating a single activated gemcitabine molecule in lieu of a thymidine molecule during the one-step solid phase synthesis of the DNA aptamer.【阅读全文】

★ 请关注《美中药源》微信公众号 ★