The pancreatic cancer drug of GlaxoSmithKline moves to phase 1

The experimental drug, GSK095 of GlaxoSmithKline is made to work in order with a checkpoint that are inhibiting medicines in the empowerment of the immune system to introduce a more aggressive attack against tumours than with checkpoint inhibitors alone. The combo apprises promise in treating pancreatic cancer that got bolstered from early results in a preclinical trial. The company is launching a phase 1 study of the drug in combination with Merck’s blockbuster PD1 checkpoint inhibitor Keytruda.

The alopecia drug of Concert Pharmaceuticals hits phase 2 endpoint

Concert Pharmaceuticals’ alopecia drug fulfilled its primary endpoint in a phase 2a trial, curtailing disease severity in nearly half of the patients, which received a higher dose. Patients in the double-blind, placebo-controlled trial were allowed to receive a 4-mg, 8-mg or 12-mg dose of the drug, CTP-543, or placebo twice a day. The company based in USA showed data from the two lowest doses after 24 weeks of treatment. The 8-mg dose met the trial’s primary endpoint in 47% of patients, in whom it decreased their overall severity of alopecia tool (SALT) score by 50% or more. The 4-mg dose did not fare as well, achieving that reduction in 21% of patients. The evaluation of the 12-mg dose is still continued.

The brain-targeting blood pressure drug of Quantum Genomics meets phase 2b endpoints

Quantum Genomics’ blood pressure drug firibastat, an inhibitor that targets aminopeptidase A in the brain, met its primary endpoint in a phase 2b study. This leads the company to a wider phase 3 trial in more resistant hypertension. The drug lowered systolic automatic office blood pressure, or AOBP, by 9.7 mm Hg compared to baseline readings in patients with arterial hypertension while decreasing diastolic pressure by 4.3 mm Hg. Both endpoints reached P values of less than 0.0001.

The suicide mechanism that could ward off autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis occur when immune cells become overactive and attack healthy tissues in the body. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have discovered a process that the body uses for an elimination of the T cells that cause autoimmune disorders. The thymocytes – process of killing harmful immune cells start with them. They are precursor cells that eventually mature into T cells. The researchers discovered a mechanism by which the body recognizes abnormally aggressive thymocytes and prompts them to commit suicide before they mature into T cells.