Plus, news about Novartis, Signify Bio, Ocugen, Dynavax and ViGeneron:
Cullinan Therapeutics gets rights to T cell engager developed in China:
The company
made a deal
with Chongqing-based Genrix Bio for velinotamig, a BCMAxCD3 bispecific T cell engager. It’s paying $20 million upfront and up to $692 million in milestones for the rights outside of Greater China. “We believe T cell engagers represent the next wave of innovation in autoimmune diseases,” Cullinan CEO Nadim Ahmed said in a release. Once a Genrix-run Phase 1 trial in China wraps up, Cullinan will handle further development of the asset in autoimmune diseases.
— Jaimy Lee
Kardigan acquires another drug:
The
cardiology startup
, which unveiled with $300 million in January, acquired the rights to ataciguat, a spokesperson told
Endpoints News
. The drug was developed by Sanofi and the
Mayo Clinic
and had been licensed by
Rancho Santa Fe Bio
. The once-daily oral drug is a guanylate cyclase activator. Kardigan has now taken it
into a Phase 3 trial
in moderate calcific aortic valve stenosis. The spokesperson said the company hopes ataciguat can delay the need for valve replacement surgery. The biotech also licensed a
mid-stage Ionis drug
earlier this year. It has “multiple late-stage candidates,” per the spokesperson.
— Kyle LaHucik
Novartis’ 100-week data for kidney disease drug:
The Swiss drugmaker’s APRIL targeting monoclonal antibody, dubbed zigakibart,
achieved
an average 60% reduction in proteinuria at 100 weeks in a Phase 1/2 trial in people with IgA nephropathy, according to results presented this week at the European Renal Association’s annual meeting in Vienna. Zigakibart is being evaluated in the Phase 3 BEYOND study, which is measuring the primary endpoint of change in proteinuria at 40 weeks.
— Ayisha Sharma
Signify Bio launches with $15M:
The company
counts
several well-known biotech entrepreneurs as its leaders, including Taysha Gene Therapies founder RA Session II and ReCode Therapeutics co-founder Daniel Siegwart. It’s also being financed by blue-chip backers like Eli Lilly and the Gates Foundation Strategic Investment Fund. Signify is developing what it calls in situ protein therapeutics from research out of Siegwart’s lab at the UT Southwestern Medical Center.
— Jaimy Lee
Ocugen inks gene therapy deal with unnamed company:
Ocugen
is getting
$11 million in upfront and near-term milestone payments, plus $150 million in sales milestones, for the rights to OCU400 in South Korea. It’s developing OCU400 to treat retinitis pigmentosa.
— Jaimy Lee
Dynavax responds to Glass Lewis claims:
The company
continues to push back
against putting Deep Track Capital executives on its board.
— Jaimy Lee
ViGeneron’s name change:
Its
new name
is VeonGen Therapeutics, and it’s working on gene therapies for patients with Stargardt disease and a form of retinitis pigmentosa.
— Jaimy Lee