Respiratory

Meiji Seika Pharma Files Japan Lawsuit Over Kostaive Misinformation

 
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The Japanese pharma firm has sued a politician claiming defamatory actions on social media around its novel COVID-19 vaccine.

Stellar Launch Of COPD Drug Puts Verona In Strong Partnering Position

 
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The UK biotech has a potential blockbuster on its hands with Ohtuvayre and its strong sales showing so soon after launch could led to a lucrative licensing deal or possible takeover.

10 Clinical Trials Of 2024 – Hits, Misses And Some In Between

 

While quieter than some recent years, 2024 did produce several clinical trial readouts destined to have an impact on their respective markets. Here, in roughly chronological order, Scrip takes a look at the 10 clinical stories that got readers clicking the most over the past 12 months.

Vertex New CF Combo Addresses More Patients, With Daily Dosing

 
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Vertex hopes to convert CF patients to new combo Alyftrek from Trikafta with once-daily dosing. Approved on 20 December, the new triplet has longer patent protection and 7% higher US pricing.


ELEVATE Data Raise PureTech’s IPF Prospects

 
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The company’s deupirfenidone, a selectively deuterated version of Roche's Esbriet, has bested the original in a Phase IIb trial in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients. Now, PureTech can finalize the Phase III program and decide how to finance it.

Blow For Keros’s PAH Candidate As Dreams Of Surpassing Winrevair Fade

 

The Lexington, MA-based firm lost three quarters of its value after it voluntarily halted dosing in two arms of a Phase II trial of its lead product, cibotercept, on safety concerns. Some observers think the reaction was overblown, however.

UK Urged To Protect R&D Tax Credits, The Lifeblood Of Biotechs

 
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Verona Pharma is rising high with the newly-launched chronic obstructive pulmonary disease drug Ohtuvayre but its development would have been severely compromised if it had not been for government benefits, non-executive chair David Ebsworth tells Scrip.

The Scrip Awards Podcast, Ep2: 2024 Awards Preview & Verona Pharma Interview

 

The second podcast in our series marking 20 years of the Scrip Awards and their recognition of biopharma innovation looking back at some of the trends that have shaped the sector in that time.


Tezspire Phase III Nasal Polyp Data May Lead To Second Indication

 
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AstraZeneca and Amgen’s first-in-class anti-TSLP agent Tezspire, already approved for severe asthma, has shown an ability to reduce the size of nasal polyps and improve congestion.

Verona’s Ohtuvayre Off To Flying Start

 

Sales of its novel COPD therapy in its first quarter on the market were more than double consensus estimates, and Verona sees more to come.

AstraZeneca Leads The Way In Clinical Trials

 

The UK group began more clinical trials last year than any other company, a new report from Citeline has found.

What GSK’s Depemokimab Will Have To Show In Chronic Rhinosinusitis

 

Until the full data are released, it is difficult to weigh ANCHOR.


New Exacerbation Data Improves Prospects For AstraZeneca’s Airsupra

 
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The Avillion-partnered treatment has succeeded in the BATURA trial, adding to the body of evidence supporting Airsupra as a first-in-class rescue treatment and its role in reducing the risk of asthma exacerbations in patients regardless of disease severity.

Vicore ASPIREs To Be Major IPF Player As Sanofi Jumps Onboard

 
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The Swedish company is well positioned, and well financed with a bit of help from the French major, to push its idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis hopeful buloxibutid closer to the regulatory finishing line.

Sanofi/Regeneron’s Dupixent: A First For COPD, But Not The Last

 

The IL-4/13 inhibitor was approved in the US for COPD, a blockbuster-sized indication, but the commercial ramp could take time and several competitors are on its heels. 

AstraZeneca Takes On GSK As Fasenra Gets EGPA Approval

 
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While it waits to see if Fasenra succeeds in a Phase III trial for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the UK major has got over the regulatory line in the much smaller but underserved space of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis.


Boehringer Gets The First Phase III Hit In IPF For A Decade

 

Nerandomilast improved patients’ lung function to a greater degree than placebo, but safety data will be key.    

Roivant’s Pulmovant Emerges After Stealth Development Plan

 

The company announced the launch of a new “vant” subsidiary focused on development of mosliciguat for pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease.

Depemokimab’s Secondary Stumbles In Asthma

 

GSK’s ultra-long-acting biologic cuts asthma attacks, but misses on all the secondary endpoints in the twin SWIFT trials could limit its appeal.    

AstraZeneca's Hopes Still High For Tozorakimab In COPD

 
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The company's IL-33 drug failed to improve breathing in a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Phase II trial but benefited patients who had suffered moderate or severe exacerbations in the previous year.