XOMA acquires Ixinity’s commercial payment and milestone rights in $9.6M

Biotech royalty aggregator XOMA (Nasdaq:XOMA) has acquired the commercial payment and part of the milestone rights to Ixinity (trenonacog alfa), a hemophilia B therapy originally from Aptevo Therapeutics (Nasdaq:APVO). The aggregator expects the move to bolster its royalty and milestone portfolio, potentially providing consistent cash flow and ramping up its royalty aggregation strategy.

The acquired asset, Ixinity, is now marketed by Medexus Pharmaceuticals (TSE:MDP) to control and prevent bleeding episodes and postoperative management in people with hemophilia B.

Aptevo sold Ixinity rights to Medexus Pharmaceuticals in 2020. The FDA first approved Ixinity in 2015.

A win-win deal

Brad Sitko

Brad Sitko, chief investment officer of XOMA, explained the company’s mission to Drug Discovery & Development, stating, “Our focus is to provide non-dilutive capital to biotech companies, so they …

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Study suggests mGlyR could be a promising antidepressant target

A model illustrates glycine molecules (teal) interacting with GPR158 brain cell receptors, influencing the nervous system. [Martemyanov lab, The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute]

A study published in Science has revealed important information about a brain receptor known as  mGlyR, which could be a potential antidepressant target. An abbreviation of “metabotropic glycine receptor,” mGlyR is highly active in the brain’s medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Abnormal activity in the brain region is associated with depression.

Formerly known as GPR158, mGlyR is a specific brain receptor type that responds to certain chemical signals. In addition to depression, researchers have linked mGlyr to cancer development and cognition. GPR158 directly interacts with a chemical known as glycine, which plays a role in various brain functions.

Both glycine and aurine affect mGlyR. Researchers believe these chemicals …

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Pharmacovigilance in personalized medicine: Adapting to a new era of drug development

[Image courtesy of LeoWolfert via iStock]

One of the ways that the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on the pharma industry was how it highlighted the importance of pharmacovigilance. As personalized medicine gained traction, drug developers had to evolve their strategies to ensure safety and efficacy. In their report, “The Future of Pharmacovigilance,” Dr. Sabine Jeck-Thole and Ben Enejo, partners at Arthur D. Little, discussed the challenges and opportunities in this new landscape.

Embracing the shift in perception of adverse events and side effects

“When we heard about adverse events and side effects, it was not bad news,” Jeck-Thole said in an interview. “It indicated that we understood our drug or vaccine much better than without any safety information.” She emphasized that this shift in perception was essential for the industry as it moved towards pharmacovigilance in personal…

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Big Pharma, it’s time to talk: Investors demand transparency on patent thickets

[PIRO4D/Pixabay]

Pharmaceutical companies are running into pushback for their “patent thicket” tactics, designed to maintain exclusive rights and delay cheaper generics. The Financial Times reported that an ethical investor coalition is pushing for greater transparency and urging major drug makers to disclose their patent strategies.

Unraveling the patent thicket mystery

Patent thickets are a common intellectual property tactic in pharma. Companies file numerous patents beyond the primary one for a specific compound. Critics say this cunning approach stalls the introduction of generics even after the 20-year exclusivity of primary patents expires. Consequently, drug prices remain high, and affordable medications remain out of reach for many.

Drugs like Humira (adalimumab) and Keytruda (pembrolizumab), for example, have experienced extended periods without biosimilar or generic competition, lea…

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Breaking down barriers: Prioritizing diversity in clinical trials

[Image courtesy of FDA]

Diversity in clinical trials is crucial for ensuring that new medical treatments are safe and effective for all populations. Last year, the FDA released draft guidance that aims to improve the enrollment of historically underrepresented populations in clinical trials.

Demand is growing for more transparency and diversity in clinical trials, according to Erin Leckrone, senior director of clinical trials at Be The Match BioTherapies. Additionally, a growing number of stakeholders are stepping forward to promote diversity. “The COVID pandemic really amplified a lot of people’s voices in this space,” she said.

A growing number of stakeholders have stepped forward to demand better diversity in clinical trials and to understand “what data is actually collected as part of the clinical trials,” Leckron said. Those players range from regulatory agencies like the FDA to clinical trial …

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Regeneron and Sonoma Bio partner to develop Treg cell therapies for autoimmune diseases

Treg cell therapies are at the forefront of a collaboration between Regeneron (Nasdaq:REGN) and privately-held Sonoma Biotherapeutics, as they work together to discover, develop, and commercialize novel therapies for autoimmune diseases. This partnership combines Regeneron’s VelociSuite technologies with Sonoma Biotherapeutics‘ expertise in gene-modified T cell (Treg) therapies.

Under the terms of the agreement, Regeneron will pay Sonoma Biotherapeutics $75 million upfront, including a $30 million equity investment. Sonoma also stands to receive an additional $45 million development milestone payment. The parties will equally co-fund research and development for product development and will equally split future commercial expenses and profits.

REGN shares were up half a point to $824.46 in midday trading after announcing the news.

Joint research focus on Treg cell therapies

The collaboration will focus on Treg cell therapies for the inflammat…

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Ori Biotech’s mission to democratize access to cell and gene therapies

London and New Jersey-based cell and gene therapy (CGT) manufacturing technology firm Ori Biotech aims to accelerate CGT manufacturing processes. The company was highlighted on our recent roundup of prominent cell and gene therapy vendors in 2023.

In January 2022, the company secured more than $100 million in a Series B funding round, enabling the move from pre-commercialization to market launch. According to CEO Jason C. Foster, the company has grown from “three of us in the biotech equivalent of a garage” to 72 employees and raised $140 million in venture funding to date.

From investor to CEO of Ori Biotech

Jason Foster

Foster met the Ori team in 2018, working with them as an investor. He later joined full time as CEO after the company closed its first institutional round in 2019.

Ori Biotech has developed a proprietary platform that automates and standardizes CGT manufact…

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Avail Medsystems secures telehealth agreement with Premier

Avail Medsystems announced recently that it received a national group purchasing agreement for telehealth with Premier, Inc.

Made effective Jan. 1, 2023, the agreement allows Premier members to take advantage of special pricing and terms pre-negotiated by Premier for the placement of Avail’s telepresence technology in operating rooms. They can also use Avail to live stream procedures to providers. This can take place throughout a facility or across health systems for medical education, training and clinical collaboration.

Santa Clara, California–based Avail designed its telepresence to enable physicians and the industry to be virtually present in operating or procedure rooms. Clinical teams can invite remote healthcare providers and medical device experts to this virtual experience. They can learn, share knowledge, collaborate or provide product expertise, both audibly and visually.

Avail’s mobile console features built-for-the-OR aud…

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Better Therapeutics to cut 35% of workforce

BT-001 [Image from Better Therapeutics website]Better Therapeutics (Nasdaq:BTTX) announced that it commenced a workforce reduction of approximately 35% of its employees.

Per the digital therapeutic developer’s most recent annual report, it had 44 employees as of Dec. 31, 2021. The layoffs could affect as many as 15 employees if the headcount remains similar.

In an SEC filing, Better Therapeutics said the headcount cut comes as part of a cost reduction initiative. It aims to improve its cash runway and “focus on the long-term success of the company.” According to the filing, the company planned to complete the reduction on March 24 with about $400,000 in cash-based expenses related to severance and benefits in the second quarter of 2023.

Better Therapeutics is not the only digital therapeutic developer to enforce layoffs recently. Both Pear Therapeutics and Akili slashed their workforces. Here’s a list of recent layoffs around the med…

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Illumina launches cloud-based next-gen sequencing software

[Image courtesy of Illumina]Illumina (Nasdaq:ILMN) announced today that it released its Connected Insights cloud-based software for next-generation sequencing (NGS).

San Diego-based Illumina designed Connected Insights to streamline interpretation and reporting from a range of assay types. This enables labs to scale the use of NGS. They can also reduce turnaround times for clinical reporting by integrating third-party knowledge bases.

Illumina said its initial release supports oncology applications. It coincides with the increasing use of comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) for advanced tumors. The company aims to ultimately support a diverse range of applications, including whole-genome sequencing (WGS) for rare diseases.

While Connected Insights undergoes beta testing in the U.S., Illumina said it offers it commercially in a limited number of countries.

“We’re seeing growing demand for NGS testing in health care systems, and with that…

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Elon Musk’s Neuralink reportedly seeks partner for human trials of brain implant

A screen grab from a Neuralink video of a monkey playing Pong through it’s brain-computer interface [Image courtesy of Neuralink]Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface (BCI) venture, reportedly aims to find a clinical trial partner for in-human studies.

Reuters reported today that six people familiar with the matter say Neuralink wants to tap the Barrow Neurological Institute as a partner. Phoenix, Arizona-based Barrow is, according to Reuters, one of the biggest neurosurgery centers in the U.S.

Neuralink’s search for a human trials partner comes on the heels of a turbulent couple of years.

During a Nov. 30, 2022 show and tell, Musk said that Neuralink would have the first in-human implant of its N1 device within the next six months. Reuters reported earlier this month that Neuralink sought FDA permission in early 2022 for human clinical trials of its BCI.

Those reports said the company received an application rejection fro…

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Philips unveils new Virtual Care Management portfolio

A man takes a blood glucose reading at home as part of the virtual care management portfolio. [Image courtesy of Philips]Philips (NYSE:PHG) announced today that it debuted its Philips Virtual Care Management portfolio of flexible solutions and services.

The Amsterdam-based medtech giant aims to help health systems, providers, payers and employers connect with patients from virtually anywhere. It designed the portfolio to reduce pressure on hospital staff by decreasing emergency department visits and reducing care costs by better managing chronic care.

Philips Virtual Care Management’s condition-specific protocols now include diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. It also covers chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Philips also implemented gestational programs for diabetes and hypertension.

These protocols combine with connected devices and engagement tools on a secure, interoperable cloud-based platform. They delive…

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