Drug development
Breye Therapeutics has raised €67.5m to advance its retinal disease pipeline, including a Phase 2 trial of danegaptide in diabetic retinopathy. The Danish clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company closed an oversubscribed Series A financing round to support development of its oral therapies for retinal diseases. Its lead candidate, danegaptide, is being developed as an oral treatment for [...]
A phase 3 retatrutide trial found reduced body weight, improved blood sugar and lower inflammation markers in adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes. The drug, which is not yet approved by any regulatory agency, mimics three gut hormones involved in appetite, blood sugar and metabolism: GLP-1, GIP and glucagon. Unlike drugs that target GLP-1 [...]
A trial of a potential world-first approved C. diff vaccine is expanding across the UK, aiming to recruit more people aged over 65. Clostridioides difficile, or C. diff, is a bacterial infection of the bowel that can cause severe diarrhoea and dehydration. The vaccine is in the final stage of testing and is being studied [...]
New Zealand has approved MDMA for treating severe PTSD, becoming the second country after Australia to permit its use for the condition. The approval was granted by New Zealand's pharmaceutical regulator, Medsafe, and follows Australia's 2023 decision to approve psychedelics for PTSD and treatment-resistant depression. Two psychiatrists have been authorised to prescribe pharmaceutical-grade [...]
A personalised melanoma vaccine has extended cancer-free time in high-risk patients when combined with Keytruda, according to interim trial results. The phase three trial involved more than 1,000 patients with high-risk stage two, three or four melanoma who had undergone surgery. Early results indicate that combining the vaccine with Keytruda significantly increased the time patients [...]
The MHRA has clarified the UK licensing pathway for microbiome medicines, explaining how developers can pursue licensing under existing rules. Microbiome-based medicines work by modulating, restoring or replacing the human microbiome. The MHRA said the products fall within the existing UK medicines framework under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. Depending on their [...]
A hydrogel 'invisibility cloak' could protect transplanted diabetes cells from immune attack and reduce the need for immunosuppressive drugs. The experimental coating was tested on insulin-producing cells transplanted into diabetic mice, restoring healthy blood sugar within a week in treated animals. Researchers said the approach could eventually make cell therapies less reliant on drugs that [...]
A new malaria compound could simplify prevention and treatment by allowing patients to receive therapy in a single dose, early trial results suggest. The compound, called cabamiquine, was tested alongside the existing antimalarial drug pyronaridine in adults and teenagers. Researchers said the combination was effective and had a favourable safety profile, supporting further testing in [...]
Remepy has raised US$36m to advance its Parkinson's treatment into Phase III trials and extend its model of pairing medicines with therapeutic software. The Series A round, co-led by Merck KGaA's M Ventures and O.G. Venture Partners, brings the startup's total funding to US$62m. Existing and new backers include NFX, Vine Ventures, Qumra Capital, TechAviv, [...]
UK scientists will grow miniature organs from NHS patient cells to improve medicine testing and reduce the number of animals used in drug development. The lab-grown tissues will be used to study how diseases differ between patients, helping researchers identify which treatments may work best according to the underlying cause of their condition. The work [...]
