Therapy Area topics
Cardiovascular
ADA 2019 – Rewind makes Lilly’s Trulicity look average
Less than emphatic cardiovascular outcomes data leave Lilly looking vulnerable to Novo Nordisk’s competing drugs.
Central Nervous System
Achieve goes up in smoke
Achieve Life Sciences gets a reality check despite largely positive smoking cessation data.
Rewalk Robotics suits up
Europe and the US approvals of the ReStore device have arrived within a week; now the company must deliver commercially.
Upcoming events – Anaptysbio and Retrophin await big readouts
Anaptysbio’s etokimab needs to beat Dupixent, while Retrophin takes aims at an underserved rare disease.
Diabetes
Cymabay can’t buck the Nash disappointment trend
As placebo outperforms Cymabay’s seladelpar attention turns to the pivotal trial of Genfit’s elafibranor.
ADA 2019 – another gut punch for Lilly
Lilly is still trying to find a therapeutic window following gastrointestinal issues with its brightest pipeline hope, the GIP/GLP1 agonist tirzepatide.
ADA 2019 – Rewind makes Lilly’s Trulicity look average
Less than emphatic cardiovascular outcomes data leave Lilly looking vulnerable to Novo Nordisk’s competing drugs.
Digital Health
Fewer than 200 medtech VC rounds closed in 2018
Investors swerve traditional medical devices in favour of artificial intelligence-enabled diagnostics.
Oncology
EHA 2019 – turnaround puts Arqule in the takeover frame
A key update confirms ARQ 531 as the leading contender to treat patients who relapse on Imbruvica or Calquence.
Upcoming events – Crucial data approach on zanubrutinib and filgotinib
Beigene seeks very good data in Waldenström's macroglobulinaemia, while Galapagos aims to extend filgotinib's reach.
Liquid biopsies: the future of cancer diagnosis?
Blood tests could be faster and cheaper than tissue biopsies, but a Thermo Fisher exec argues they are likely to be more of an add-on technique.
Respiratory
Why investors should question Savara's excuse
With the company’s Molgradex failing to beat standard of care in a rare lung disorder, the premise behind this project looks questionable.
Circassia averts its cash crunch
Payment of an overdue $120m Astrazeneca milestone, plus two other obligations, has been met through a loan facility with undisclosed terms.
Various
Big-bucks first quarter masks drop in deal volume
Bristol-Myers Squibb’s $74bn bid for Celgene led to a huge quarter, but a drop in the deal count could give pause to those hoping for a bumper year.
Kickstarting ideas
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