Aktis Oncology’s Post

Interesting... Novo Nordisk is boldly forging ahead to establish its dominance in the obesity sector, undeterred by competitors' drug presence. The company's strategic moves in 2023, marked by a significant capacity expansion, have resulted in an impressive 36% sales growth, welcoming approximately 5 million new patients into their therapeutic fold. Acknowledging the entry of Eli Lilly's rival obesity medication, Zepbound, Novo remains steadfast in emphasizing the pivotal role of supply capacity. Despite the competitive landscape and the inherent challenges in maintaining a robust supply chain, Novo is optimistic about achieving substantial growth levels ranging between 18% and 26% in the current year. 📊 Crucially, Novo assures its stakeholders of a sustainable supply chain for Wegovy, backed by ample inventories to circumvent past stop-and-go patterns. 🔄 One of the standout features of Novo's flagship product, Wegovy, is its ability to retain patient engagement. Patient stay times on Wegovy surpass those of previous anti-obesity treatments, leading to a notable reduction in patient dropout rates. 🕒 As Novo Nordisk continues its ambitious pursuit of excellence in the obesity field, these recent developments underscore the company's commitment to innovation, growth, and, above all, improving the lives of those affected by obesity. Stay tuned for more exciting updates on the forefront of healthcare advancements! 🔍💡 #NovoNordisk #Wegovy #HealthcareInnovation #ObesityTreatment Source: https://lnkd.in/gxVkFDM3

We are very proud to announce the acquisition of our portfolio company Cara Care by Mahana, becoming a global leader in the digital treatment of digestive health and other chronic conditions. The combined company operates across the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom with both FDA-cleared and digital wellness programs for IBS and Tinnitus currently prescribed or offered by thousands of healthcare providers, and an exciting pipeline to reach the millions of patients suffering from IBD, Heartburn, Celiac Disease, Pruritus and Vulvodynia.   Asabys Partners, who invested in Cara Care back in 2019 through its fund Sabadell Asabys I, now becomes a shareholder of Mahana, also backed by prominent investors including JAZZ Venture Partners and Lux Capital.   Our Partner Guillem Masferrer comments: “Cara Care has become the first and only digital therapy specialized in digestive diseases that is reimbursed by the German health system. Germany is a pioneer country in the world in applying regulation to allow healthcare professionals to prescribe and reimburse digital therapies, as long as they prove a positive impact on patients. We are very proud to see how Cara Care has become a valid solution for patients who do not have therapeutic alternatives and are very excited about the opportunity to be able to bring these therapies to a global market with the help of Mahana." Banco Sabadell Alantra European Investment Fund (EIF) https://lnkd.in/dimDfmsy

Gene&Cell Therapy >> Takeda says farewell to CFO, suite of clinical-stage programs in Q3 update: Takeda’s CFO is out, the company announced Thursday alongside a series of pipeline cuts. Costa Saroukos will step down on April 1 to move closer to his family in Australia, he said. He spent six years in the job and helped close one of the biggest deals in pharma history — the $62 billion Shire acquisition in 2019. “Since then, he has been instrumental in Takeda’s transformation into a global biopharmaceutical company and is handing over an exceptional finance organization,” CEO Christophe Weber said on a call with investors on Thursday as the company announced its fiscal third-quarter results. Takeda’s Japan pharma business unit president Milano Furuta will take over for Saroukos. Pipeline cuts  Takeda’s C-suite isn’t the only part of the company making some changes: The R&D team has culled several programs since October, including a handful of early-stage CAR-T efforts that were eliminated as part of “pipeline prioritization considerations and Takeda’s strategic focus on developing allogeneic cell therapies,” it revealed. The three CAR-T programs being cut, TAK-102, TAK-103 and TAK-940, were all in Phase I. TAK-102 and TAK-103 were being developed for solid tumors, while TAK-940 was designed for CD19-positive blood cancers. Takeda stressed that the decisions were not related to safety or efficacy concerns. “We regularly prioritize our portfolio to direct resources to our most promising programs,” a Takeda spokesperson told Endpoints News on Thursday. The company touted its two new approvals, Adzynma in a rare blood disorder and Fruzaqla in metastatic colorectal cancer, as well as its Phase III psoriasis candidate TAK-279. The company is also planning Phase IIb studies for TAK-279 in Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Andy Plump “TAK-279 is our leading pipeline priority and we continue to make steady progress as we work to bring this potentially best-in-class treatment to patients,” R&D president Andy Plump said on a call with investors, according to an AlphaSense transcript. The company is also shelving its Phase I candidate TAK-426 for the prevention of Zika virus “based on limited potential use given the current state of Zika virus epidemiology,” it said in its quarterly report. BARDA gave Takeda an initial $19.8 million for the Phase I development of a Zika vaccine in 2017, offering up to $312 million more if the government exercised options to take it through Phase III and regulatory filing. Two Phase II programs are getting cut in Parkinson’s and anhedonia (otherwise known as a lack of pleasure) associated with major depressive disorder. The latter, TAK-041, was part of Neurocrine’s $2 billion collaboration deal in psychiatry inked in 2020. The companies announced they were discontinuing the program in… #lucidquest #genetherapy #celltherapy

"Cancer & Work: Acting Together" is a new, global program to support Sanofi employees whose lives are impacted by cancer and other critical illnesses. The program provides them with financial support - full salary for a year, flexible working hours, and full-time remote work opportunities, as well as social and psychological support, both in the workplace and beyond. Later this year, Sanofi plans to introduce additional solutions to make it easier for employees suffering from illness to cover various non-medical expenses. Furthermore, employees whose loved ones suffer from a serious illness will be eligible for unpaid compassionate leave. I am very pleased that Sanofi is launching such a comprehensive support program for employees affected by cancer, and that our employees in Poland will be able to benefit from this program if needed. This is another initiative aimed at creating a work environment where every employee feels cared for, even in the most difficult moments of life - emphasizes Barbara Duniec, People & Culture Head Poland & Total Wellbeing Central & South Europe at Sanofi. The program is also designed to better equip managers to support members of their team who are affected by cancer. "Cancer & Work: Acting Together" is an important element of Sanofi's ambitious DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) strategy. #Cancer #CancerandWork #Sanofi #WorkEnvironment #Diversity #Equity #Inclusion Sanofi Polska

🌿 What does the appointment of global healthcare vet Donald M. Casey Jr. mean for FloraWorks and the future of cannabinoid therapeutics? 🚀 Today, we stand at a defining moment in the history of FloraWorks. With immense pride, we announce the joining of Donald M. Casey Jr. to our Board of Directors. Donald’s 30-year legacy in global healthcare, marked by his transformative roles at Johnson & Johnson and Cardinal Health, positions him as an invaluable asset in our mission. 💡 As we prepare for groundbreaking patent filings and the launch of TruCBN™, our first clinically validated cannabinoid for sleep, Donald's leadership is not just timely but pivotal. His expertise will steer us through this exhilarating phase of innovation and commercialization. 🌐 At FloraWorks, our vision aligns seamlessly with Donald's passion for medical advancements. Our focus on developing cannabinoid-based solutions for critical health issues like sleep disorders and Alzheimer's is poised for a leap forward. Our commitment to combining traditional research with modern science is reshaping the cannabinoid landscape. 💚 Join us in welcoming Donald M. Casey Jr. to the FloraWorks family. His appointment isn't just a step forward; it's a leap into a future where health and wellness are transformed by the power of cannabinoids. Stay tuned as we answer what this means for the future of health and wellness. #FloraWorks #CannabinoidInnovation #HealthcareFuture #SleepHealth #BiotechBreakthrough #LeadershipExcellence #TransformingWellness

Sat on the plane, reflecting on the past three days at the ASCO conference and it has been nothing short of energizing, filled with back-to-back meetings and invaluable interactions. Here are some of my highlights: ✔️Receiving invaluable feedback from our early access users about the product market fit of ImageneOI, our Biomarker Profiling Platform ✔️All the discussions with our strategic and commercial partners who are instrumental in helping us achieve our goals with data access, clinical trial, and clinical pipeline deployments. ✔️Welcoming new customers of our first-in-class LungOI LDT, enabling rapid turnaround of patient diagnostic results to get them on the right drug faster. ✔️Connecting with pharma companies eager to leverage our solutions to enhance biomarker strategies, speed up patient enrollment, and ensure pull-through for their on-market drugs. ✔️It was also fantastic to finally meet in person and spend quality time with some of my new team at Imagene AI (Daniel, Addie and Dean), as well as catching up with the usual suspects and good friends at all the receptions. By the end of it all I, like many who attended, am thoroughly exhausted but not at all complaining. What remains at the forefront of my mind is how exhausted our patients are from their cancer journeys and as an experienced survivor, knowing first-hand the pitfalls in our systems that desperately need fixing, it truly motivates me to keep striving for better solutions. Until next year, Chi-Town! #ASCO2024 #ImmediateOncologyIntelligence #FoundationOI #ImageneOI #LungOI

Johnson & Johnson and Legend Biotech are pushing Carvykti, a CAR-T therapy, for use in earlier stages of multiple myeloma treatment amidst FDA and European regulatory scrutiny, especially concerning safety and secondary malignancies. Quick Takes - 🔷 Expand Carvykti's use beyond heavily pretreated patients. 🔷 Navigate FDA’s safety concerns, including a new boxed warning for CAR-T therapies. 🔷 J&J's manufacturing boost signals strong belief in Carvykti's potential and commercial success. Considerations - 🔷 How will Carvykti's expanded use impact multiple myeloma care? 🔷 What does this tell us about the future of CAR-T therapies amid safety probes? 🔷 This effort showcases the balance between groundbreaking treatment possibilities and the imperative of patient safety in advancing healthcare. #HealthcareInnovation #MultipleMyeloma #PatientSafety #CARTherapy

It’s not only the best molecules and clinical trials but also the right culture and operational rigor that are essential to building a successful #RareDisease company. Our CEO, Saqib Islam, also tells Forbes that the best thing that we can do as a company is to continue to be the hardest, most intense evaluators of every opportunity on behalf of patients. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eUMgBACa #CareHard

Gene&Cell Therapy >> EyePoint poaches medical chief from Apellis; Sandoz CFO, longtime BioNTech exec to retire: Ramiro Ribeiro After six years as head of clinical development at Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Ramiro Ribeiro is joining EyePoint Pharmaceuticals as CMO. “The retinal community is relatively small, so everybody knows each other,” Ribeiro told Endpoints News in an interview. “As soon as I started to talk about EyePoint, I got really good feedback from KOLs and physicians on its scientific standards and quality of work.” Ribeiro kicked off his career as a clinician in Brazil, earning a doctorate in stem cell therapy for retinal diseases. He previously held roles at Alcon and Ophthotech Corporation, now known as Astellas’ M&A prize Iveric Bio. At Apellis, Ribeiro oversaw the Phase III development, filing and approval of Syfovre, the first drug for geographic atrophy secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The complement C3 inhibitor went on to make $275 million in 2023 despite reports of a rare side effect that only emerged after commercialization. Now, Ribeiro is hoping to replicate that success with EyePoint’s lead candidate, EYP-1901 for wet AMD, which is set to enter the Phase III LUGANO trial in the second half of the year after passing a Phase II test in December. Ribeiro told Endpoints he was optimistic about the company’s intraocular sustained-delivery tech, which he said could help address treatment burden and compliance issues seen with injectables. He also has plans to expand the EyePoint team. “My goal is not just execution of the Phase III study — of course that’s a priority — but also looking at the pipeline and which different assets we can bring in to leverage the strength of the team that we have,” Ribeiro said. — Ayisha Sharma Remco Steenbergen → Sandoz CFO Colin Bond will retire on June 30 and board member Remco Steenbergen will replace him. Steenbergen, who will step down from the board when he takes over on July 1, had a 20-year career with Philips and has held the group CFO post at Deutsche Lufthansa since January 2021. Bond joined Sandoz nearly two years ago and is the former finance chief at Evotec and Vifor Pharma. Investors didn’t react warmly to Wednesday’s news as shares fell by almost 4%. The Swiss generics and biosimilars company, which finally split from Novartis in October 2023, has also nominated FogPharma CEO Mathai Mammen to the board of directors. The ex-R&D chief at J&J will be joined by two other new faces, Swisscom chairman Michael Rechsteiner and former Unilever CFO Graeme Pitkethly. On Monday, Sandoz said it completed its $70 million purchase of Coherus BioSciences’ Lucentis biosimilar Cimerli sooner than expected. The FDA then approved its first two biosimilars of Amgen’s denosumab the next day, in a move that could whittle away at the pharma… #lucidquest #genetherapy #celltherapy

LucidQuest Strategic Insights (lqventures.com) >>> Gene&Cell Therapy >> EyePoint poaches medical chief from Apellis; Sandoz CFO, longtime BioNTech exec to retire: Ramiro Ribeiro After six years as head of clinical development at Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Ramiro Ribeiro is joining EyePoint Pharmaceuticals as CMO. “The retinal community is relatively small, so everybody knows each other,” Ribeiro told Endpoints News in an interview. “As soon as I started to talk about EyePoint, I got really good feedback from KOLs and physicians on its scientific standards and quality of work.” Ribeiro kicked off his career as a clinician in Brazil, earning a doctorate in stem cell therapy for retinal diseases. He previously held roles at Alcon and Ophthotech Corporation, now known as Astellas’ M&A prize Iveric Bio. At Apellis, Ribeiro oversaw the Phase III development, filing and approval of Syfovre, the first drug for geographic atrophy secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The complement C3 inhibitor went on to make $275 million in 2023 despite reports of a rare side effect that only emerged after commercialization. Now, Ribeiro is hoping to replicate that success with EyePoint’s lead candidate, EYP-1901 for wet AMD, which is set to enter the Phase III LUGANO trial in the second half of the year after passing a Phase II test in December. Ribeiro told Endpoints he was optimistic about the company’s intraocular sustained-delivery tech, which he said could help address treatment burden and compliance issues seen with injectables. He also has plans to expand the EyePoint team. “My goal is not just execution of the Phase III study — of course that’s a priority — but also looking at the pipeline and which different assets we can bring in to leverage the strength of the team that we have,” Ribeiro said. — Ayisha Sharma Remco Steenbergen → Sandoz CFO Colin Bond will retire on June 30 and board member Remco Steenbergen will replace him. Steenbergen, who will step down from the board when he takes over on July 1, had a 20-year career with Philips and has held the group CFO post at Deutsche Lufthansa since January 2021. Bond joined Sandoz nearly two years ago and is the former finance chief at Evotec and Vifor Pharma. Investors didn’t react warmly to Wednesday’s news as shares fell by almost 4%. The Swiss generics and biosimilars company, which finally split from Novartis in October 2023, has also nominated FogPharma CEO Mathai Mammen to the board of directors. The ex-R&D chief at J&J will be joined by two other new faces, Swisscom chairman Michael Rechsteiner and former Unilever CFO Graeme Pitkethly. On Monday, Sandoz said it completed its $70 million purchase of Coherus BioSciences’ Lucentis biosimilar Cimerli sooner than expected. The FDA then approved its first two biosimilars of Amgen’s denosumab the next day,… #lucidquest #genetherapy #celltherapy