NLS Biotech News

Oncopeptides’ peptide drug conjugate crossed the blood-brain barrier in the first three patients treated in a glioblastoma study at Oslo University Hospital. Drug concentrations in the tumors matched preclinical models.

Stockholm-based Pharmability has dosed the first patient in its Phase Ib study of TIR-C in atopic dermatitis, and the first cohort is now fully enrolled. The trial is the first in which the drug candidate is tested in humans.

Genmab and AbbVie’s bispecific antibody epcoritamab, added to standard R-CHOP chemoimmunotherapy, significantly improved progression-free survival in the Phase III EPCORE DLBCL-2 trial in newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The companies say it is the first Phase III study of a bispecific antibody combination to show such a benefit in the frontline setting.

Boehringer Ingelheim’s survodutide, licensed from Danish Zealand Pharma, met both co-primary endpoints in the Phase III SYNCHRONIZE-2 trial in people with obesity or overweight and type 2 diabetes, with weight loss of up to 13.1% after 76 weeks versus 3.1% on placebo.

Lundbeck has randomized the first patient in the Phase II DARE2 trial of its oral Parkinson’s candidate Lu AF28996. In an interview with NLS, Tarek Samad, Head of R&D, explains what the trial needs to show to justify Phase III and where the drug could fit alongside existing treatments.

Genmab has reported Phase 2 results for its antibody-drug conjugate rinatabart sesutecan (Rina-S) in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, with a confirmed objective response rate of 45.9% among 109 treated patients.

Lundbeck has reported headline results from the Phase IV THRIVE trial, in which 60% of migraine patients who had responded inadequately to a prior CGRP-targeting preventive therapy reported being “much” or “very much” improved after 24 weeks on Vyepti (eptinezumab).

Stockholm-based Mendus has presented updated five-year follow-up data from its completed ADVANCE II trial in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). It also gave an update on the ongoing VITAL-CML trial of its immunotherapy vididencel in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The data were presented at the Second Bologna Workshop on Immunotherapy for AML in Italy.

Södertälje-based Anocca has dosed the first patient in Sweden with its TCR-T cell therapy, which targets KRAS G12V mutations in pancreatic cancer. Sweden is the third European country where a patient has received the therapy.

Stockholm-based Atrogi has reported positive human data for ATR-258, its first-in-class oral therapy designed to improve muscle function and body composition. Over eight weeks, treatment was associated with an approximately 13% improvement in lower-extremity muscle power, together with more lean mass and less fat mass.