Plus, news about Jnana Therapeutics, Vaxcyte, C-Further, Genprex, PharmaEssentia, FORUS Therapeutics, Pharma Two B and Hepion:
Novartis licenses Voyager program: Voyager will get $15 million upfront and can get up to $305 million in milestones. The license is for “use in a gene therapy program against an undisclosed rare neurologic disease target,” according to a press release, and comes from the deal that Novartis and Voyager originally signed in March 2022. — Max Gelman
Boehringer candidate to advance to Phase 2 trial in geographic atrophy: The German drugmaker’s antibody fragment, BI-771716, passed a Phase 1 test in the retinal disease, with detailed results to be presented at a later date. Boehringer now plans to start a Phase 2 study of the drug early next year. — Ayisha Sharma
Jnana Therapeutics touts Phase 1/2 phenylketonuria data: The Boston-based biotech’s small-molecule drug candidate achieved “clinically meaningful” reductions in plasma phenylalanine, a type of amino acid that’s abnormally elevated in people with the disease. The results support plans for a registrational trial for JNT-517 set to start next year. — Ayisha Sharma
Vaxcyte prices offering at $1.3B: The company upsized the raise from the $1 billion it originally sought as it aims to line its coffers on the heels of positive pneumococcal vaccine data released this week. — Max Gelman
Childhood cancer consortium launches with $36M: The initial investment from LifeArc and Cancer Research UK will help the C-Further consortium develop new medicines for cancers affecting children and young people. It is planning to host a launch event on Friday at the American Association for Cancer Research’s special conference on pediatric cancers in Toronto. — Ayisha Sharma
Genprex spins off separate company for diabetes gene therapy: The new company will focus on developing and commercializing GPX-002, a gene therapy candidate for the treatment of type 1 and 2 diabetes. Genprex president and CEO Ryan Confer said the spinoff “would be positioned to be a pure-play diabetes-focused biopharmaceutical company, while Genprex would be a pure-play oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company.” — Katherine Lewin
PharmaEssentia licenses Besremi from FORUS Therapeutics: Taiwan-based PharmaEssentia will take over registration and distribution of the drug in Canada, where it is approved to treat polycythemia vera. The deal, which has potential milestone payments of up to $107 million, could also include other indications in the future. — Katherine Lewin
Pharma Two B, Hepion Pharmaceuticals move forward on merger: Thanks to the merger, which is expected to close before the end of the year, Pharma Two B will become a publicly traded company on Nasdaq. — Katherine Lewin