The UC San Diego Health System has developed a diagnostic test that can determine whether a patient has contracted the novel coronavirus in about eight hours. Developed under guidance that the FDA published roughly two weeks ago amid the severe shortage of tests for the viral illness, COVID-19, UCSD Health developed and validated an in-house […]

Repertoire Immune Medicines, a Cambridge, MA-based biotech Flagship Pioneering formed by combining its companies Cogen Immune Medicines and Torque Therapeutics, named John Cox its CEO. Cox has been Torque’s chief executive since late 2019. Previously Cox was the CEO of Bioverativ (NASDAQ: BIIV), which he spun out from Biogen (NASDAQ: BIIB) in 2016 and oversaw […]

Reuse and recycle is more than an environmental slogan. It’s also a succinct description of how cells deal with old or damaged proteins. Kymera Therapeutics is developing drugs that use this cyclical cellular process to treat disease, and it has raised $102 million to move into clinical testing next year. The Series C round of […]

Genmab (NASDAQ: GMAB) has appointed Anthony Mancini to serve as executive vice president and chief operating officer. Mancini is joining Copenhagen, Denmark-based Genmab from Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY), where he is senior vice president and head of US innovative medicines. When he starts at Genmab on March 23, he will be based in New […]

A Kala Pharmaceuticals dry eye disease drug that was rejected by the FDA is now being readied for another regulatory filing based on new data. Last August the FDA rejected a Kala (NASDAQ: KALA) product meant to temporarily relieve signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. On Monday the Watertown, MA-based biopharma announced preliminary results […]

Senti Biosciences named Jose Iglesias as its chief medical officer, tasked with overseeing the development of its cell and gene therapy product candidates for the treatment of solid and liquid tumors. Iglesias’s previous experience includes CMO and clinical development leadership roles at companies including Boston Biomedical, Apobiologix, Biothera Pharmaceuticals, Bionomics, Celgene, Abraxis BioScience, and Eli […]

A 20-patient Phase 1 study of an RNA drug discovered by Ionis Pharmaceuticals that is being tested as a treatment for Huntington’s disease by Roche was suspended after two reports of infections related to a device used to take samples of cerebral spinal fluid during the trial. The suspension doesn’t appear to be related to […]

The assets of Melinta Therapeutics will go to creditor Deerfield Management after no bidders for the company emerged, the antibiotics developer announced Wednesday. Under a court-approved Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan, any bids for the company were due by March 2. An auction was scheduled for March 6 in the event any bids were submitted. But […]

Plaintiff Peter Lurie, former US FDA associate commissioner, expects results of hundreds of clinical trials of approved drugs will become available under ruling against HHS; co-plaintiff sought eteplirsen study data. The results of potentially hundreds of clinical trials of approved drugs and medical devices will have to be published on the ClinicalTrials.gov website in the […]

Gilead Sciences, which finished 2019 with nearly $26 billion at its disposal, is putting some of that money to work with a $4.9 billion deal to acquire cancer immunotherapy developer Forty Seven. Under deal terms announced Monday, Foster City, CA-based Gilead (NASDAQ: GILD) will pay $95.50 for each share of Forty Seven (NASDAQ: FTSV). That’s […]

Biogen is opening up its checkbook again to get its hands on innovative approaches to some brain disorders that have proven especially recalcitrant to new types of treatment. The Cambridge, MA-based neuroscience drug developer is paying gene editing company Sangamo Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SGMO) $350 million up front in a collaboration on potential one-time treatments for […]

A Biohaven Pharmaceutical migraine drug has won FDA approval, clearing the way to the market for a new treatment option for the millions of people who suffer from the debilitating condition. The Biohaven (NYSE: BHVN) drug rimegepant (Nurtec) was developed for acute migraine in adults, treating a migraine attack as it occurs. The drug, a […]