recent pharma news

Plaque psoriasis drug outshines the competition in phase III trial Bristol Myers Squibb’s psoriasis drug, the TYK2 inhibitor outshone placebo and Amgen’s Otezla in a second phase 3 study, setting discussions with regulators. The study, known as POETYK PSO-2, trialled the drug, deucravacitinib, against placebo...

Nirogy Therapeutics rises with USD 16.5 Million to target metabolite transporters Nirogy Therapeutics Inc., a privately-held biotechnology company developing novel small molecules for targeting cellular transporters, announced the closing of a USD 16.5 million Series A financing.  Nirogy plans to use the...

Ikena secures USD 120 Million to advance a growing pipeline of cancer drugs Ikena Oncology has bagged USD 120 million to develop its expanding pipeline of cancer drugs. The Series B round begins as Ikena prepares to add a TEAD inhibitor to its roster of clinical programs and pushes a first-in-class KRAS asset th...

Improving cancer immunotherapy by recovering a warning system Cancer cells, most of the time, develop tactics to elude the immune system. A research team that is led by scientists at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has recognized one such mechanism, and it believes aiming it with drugs could potentially e...

NIH awards USD 107 Million for radical COVID-19 testing tech  The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded over USD 107 million for radical approaches to testing for COVID-19 and tracing the spread of the disease, including cutting-edge technologies, which could make daily coronavirus testing less interf...

AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine data suggest single-dose efficacy The full data from late-phase trials of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine have pointed to the potential for AZD1222 to work after a single dose and limit asymptomatic cases; however, missed main questions regarding the efficacy of the candidate. Th...

FDA authorizes first diagnostic test for COVID-19 antibodies that obstruct the virus from entering cells The FDA has authorized the first COVID-19 diagnostic test, which identifies whether a person has the specific antibodies known to hinder the coronavirus from entering and infecting human cells. These neutr...

GSK eyes robust immune response from RSV vaccine  Cold viruses mostly do not get much attention in terms of R&D. They usually make humans feel miserable for a few days, and later than clear up. However, some cold viruses can hit vulnerable people much harder, which leads to pneumonia and hospitalizations. Th...

Designing a universal flu vaccine by focusing on the immune system  A universal flu vaccine that can foster protection to people against any influenza strain is considered a goal in flu research as it could spare scientists from the often erroneous process of predicting the circulating strains each year and...

Olema Oncology raises USD 54 Million for breast cancer program Olema Oncology has raised USD 54 million to push its lead program into the clinic and boost its R&D efforts in other areas.   The capital will bankroll a phase 1/2 study of the asset, OP-1250, as a single agent. Olema Oncology will a...