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January 07, 2020___

Today's Rundown

Featured Story

Apellis climbs as its drug beats Alexion's Soliris in phase 3

Apellis Pharmaceuticals’ pegcetacoplan has beaten Alexion’s blockbuster Soliris in a head-to-head phase 3 trial. The result suggests Apellis can challenge Alexion’s dominance in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, but the biotech needs to talk to the FDA before deciding on the next steps.

Top Stories

As Rhythm Pharmaceuticals preps for first approval, CEO hits the exit

Fierce 15 winner Rhythm Pharmaceuticals is on the cusp of gaining its first approval in 2020, but it will be ushering in this potential milestone without its chief.

AstraZeneca taps MiNA to treat metabolic diseases by activating genes

AstraZeneca has teamed up with MiNA Therapeutics to test small activating RNA (saRNA) molecules in metabolic diseases. The agreement gives AstraZeneca the option to negotiate a license for saRNA molecules after getting a look at preclinical data on the candidates. 

Magenta CSO Michael Cooke jumps to IFM Therapeutics

IFM Therapeutics snagged a new chief scientific officer. Michael Cooke, Ph.D., joins from stem cell biotech Magenta Therapeutics, where he held the same position. He arrives a month after IFM promoted R&D chief Martin Seidel, Ph.D. to CEO and raised $55.5 million to bankroll an incubator and up to three new subsidiaries.

Galecto to merge with onetime Celgene partner PharmAkea

Galecto is set to merge with PharmAkea. The deal will see Denmark’s Galecto incorporate in the U.S. and add a clinical-phase treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) to its pipeline.

Arcutis eyes $100M IPO to bankroll dermatology programs

Dermatology player Arcutis Biotherapeutics set up shop in 2016 but stayed under the radar until early last year. Now, with a trio of clinical-stage programs and more than $160 million in the bank, the company is looking to hit the street with a $100 million IPO.

Deep Genomics nabs $40M round, doubles down on AI and Wilson disease work

Canadian drug development company Deep Genomics has got off a $40 million series B round as it looks to double down on its rare genetic disease and artificial intelligence work.

A new strategy for boosting PD-1 blockers in melanoma

In melanoma, at least half of patients don’t respond to PD-1 blockers like Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Opdivo and Merck’s Keytruda. Sanford Burnham researchers are proposing a new way to sensitize melanoma to PD-1 blockade by inhibiting a protein called Siah2. In mouse models, the strategy restricted T regulatory cells, allowing killer T cells to attack the cancer.

Merck's Keytruda misses key mark in small cell lung cancer trial, dashing big expansion hopes

Merck & Co.’s Keytruda may be the star in non-small cell lung cancer, but a combo of it and chemo just failed to significantly outdo chemo alone at prolonging patients’ lives in small cell lung cancer, a market that one analyst dubbed "one of the largest metastatic market opportunities remaining" for the PD-1 drug.

Enrollment Showcase

Online Graduate Programs Designed for Your Career

Drexel University’s online graduate programs in biomedicine, clinical research, drug discovery, and molecular medicine were developed with working professionals in mind, providing you with the education, practical skills, and competitive edge you need to be successful in your career.  Learn more.

Resources

[Whitepaper] Digital Disruption in Biopharma: How Digital Transformation can reverse declining ROI on R&D

The beginning of this digital transformation is well underway and is likely to accelerate. Read our white paper, “Digital Disruption in Biopharma: How Digital Transformation can reverse declining ROI on R&D,” to learn more.

[Whitepaper] Telemedicine: Facilitating Clinical Trial Participation

Download this white paper and read the expert feedback that snapIoT has gathered from industry thought leaders on the evolution, evaluation, and use of telemedicine solutions in clinical trials.

[Whitepaper] Are We Transforming in the Right Way? Why Launches Can’t Be Distracted By Empty Promises.

How are your launch strategies can convert “innovation” into value for patients?

[Whitepaper] The Impact of Step-Therapy Policies on Patients

Download this complimentary paper that explores the practice of step therapy and its impact on key stakeholders in the US healthcare system.

[Whitepaper] Modernizing clinical trials with Amazon Web Services (AWS)

From IoT to data management to high-performance computing and machine learning, leading life sciences organizations are using Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop scalable, global, predictable, and secure solutions to modernize clinical trials while mitigating risks

[Whitepaper] Why Partner with CSP’s to Validate Mission Critical Apps in the Cloud?

Why companies leverage the expertize of industry focused cloud service providers to design and build quality systems and facilitate the FDA Validation of Mission Critical Apps in the Cloud.

[Whitepaper] How to Protect your Supply Chain from Security and Compliance Threats Utilizing On-Dose Authentication Technologies

Learn more: Best practices for defending supply chain security and compliance by efficiently managing product authentication.

[Whitepaper] The Unexpected Key to Building Value in Drug Discovery and Development

Small or emerging pharmaceutical and biotech companies pursuing novel molecules and targets have two important goals: achieve clinical success and attract new rounds of funding. While there’s never a guarantee of either, certain actions can influence the outcome in your favor.

[Executive Summary] Clinical Supplies - Made to Order

Learn how recent innovations in demand-led supply and direct-to-patient distribution are converging to create a next-generation clinical supply chain that is flexible, lean and most importantly patient-centric.

[Whitepaper] Digital Twins: Creating Digital Operations Today to Deliver Business Value Tomorrow

This whitepaper highlights the challenges of implementing the right digital twin strategy while providing key use cases in the manufacturing domain for which a digital twin is extremely useful and several examples of technology trends that will shape the future.

[Q&A] Embarking Upon the Commercial Manufacturing Journey for a Biologic

In this Q&A, four Catalent Biologics experts share how scale-up, regulatory expectations, demand forecasting and process validation all play a role in the success of a biologic when embarking upon the commercial manufacturing journey.

Events