Cancer was once considered a single disease, but today we are well aware of the many different forms this medical scourge can take, and the many molecular events that can lead to and drive unwanted cell growth. Now, a new partnership between the Michael J. Fox Foundation and 23andMe aims to explore whether Parkinson’s disease...
The immuno-oncology (IO) field has a lot to be thankful for as the year comes to a close. Not only are PD-1/PDL-1 inhibitors being rapidly approved, their use is being extended into new indications and tumor types well beyond what people expected. From melanoma and lung cancer to bladder, gastric and liver cancer, drugs...
Less than two weeks following the closing of Gilead’s acquisition of the company, Kite Pharma’s CAR-T immunotherapeutic, axicabtagene ciloleucel, has gained approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as the first CAR-T therapy for an adult indication. The approval, which came more than a month ahead of the expected FDA decision date, is for...
This has been an amazing year in the world of drug development, with three new therapeutic classes marking historic gains. We first saw Novartis’ FDA approval for the first CAR-T immunotherapy. Then Alnylam’s RNAi treatment achieved Phase 3 success, the first such for that class of therapeutics. Most recently, Spark Therapeutics received a unanimous recommendation...
Anticipation was high for the results of a Phase 3 trial of Axovant’s experimental drug, interpirdine. Sadly, the potential Alzheimer’s disease treatment failed to meet its co-primary endpoints. Patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease who were treated for 24 weeks with 35 mg interpirdine, along with the existing Alzheimer’s disease drug Aricept, failed to...
It is a not uncommon phenomenon for a new discovery to attract much enthusiasm and hype — as well as investment and new company formation — only to suffer popular disillusionment a few years later as public interest turns to the next hot area of science when clinical success remains elusive and far off. After...