IAG-933

Plus, news about Syncona, Ventus Therapeutics, Roche, Disc Medicine, Atai Life Sciences, Lexeo Therapeutics, Novartis, Vivace Therapeutics, Kura Oncology, Corbus and J&J: 💼 Neuphoria Therapeutics’ social anxiety drug fails Phase 3: The biotech is discontinuing BNC210 after the drug did not meet the primary endpoint in a public speaking challenge in the AFFIRM-1 trial. Neuphoria is now conducting a strategic review of its business and assessing what to do with BNC210 in post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s still partnered with Merck on a Phase 2 trial in Alzheimer’s disease. The company’s shares $NEUP were down about 68% the morning after it disclosed the results. — Jaimy Lee 🧠 Minerva Neurosciences’ up to $200M PIPE: The company gets $80 million upfront as it advances its experimental schizophrenia treatment through a confirmatory Phase 3 trial. It then plans to resubmit roluperidone to the FDA. Vivo Capital led the financing. The FDA has twice declined to approve the drug. Its stock price $NERV soared 275% on Tuesday morning after disclosing the private placement. — Jaimy Lee 📋 Syncona details plans to recoup £250M for shareholders: Earlier this year, the British life sciences investment firm announced it won’t hit its 2032 goals of £5 billion in assets, launching three companies each year, and having a portfolio of at least 20 startups. It may sell mature portfolio companies, update the board or establish a new private fund. The firm still plans to invest in early-stage companies. “We are committed to ensuring shareholders benefit from the potential returns available as markets stabilize,” Syncona Investment Management CEO Chris Hollowood said in a statement. — Jaimy Lee 🧪 Ventus Therapeutics, Roche ink licensing deal: Roche’s Genentech could pay more than $460 million plus royalties to use Ventus’ AI and machine learning platform to develop small molecules. The companies didn’t disclose the targets, though they described them as “challenging” and in “major disease areas.” — Jaimy Lee 💰 Disc Medicine raised a total of $250 million in its stock sale, above the $220 million it set out to raise. Atai Life Sciences also had an upsized offering, selling $149.5 million in shares. It had intended to sell about $130 million . The same goes for Lexeo Therapeutics , which raised $153.8 million , up from its plans to sell $135 million in shares. — Jaimy Lee ↔️ #ESMO25: One step back, one step forward for a rare cancer: Novartis told Endpoints News it is ending enrollment in a Phase 1 trial of IAG933 in advanced mesothelioma and other solid tumors, citing “tolerability and anti-tumor activity.” Meanwhile, Vivace Therapeutics reported promising Phase 1/2 results for its candidate, VT3989, in refractory mesothelioma. The drug achieved a 32% overall response rate and disease control rate of 86%. — Ayisha Sharma 🔬 #ESMO25: Kura Oncology details new vision for an old drug class: The company reported that its farnesyl transferase inhibitor darlifarnib combined with Exelixis’ Cabometyx, resulted in response rates of 33% to 50% across doses in kidney cancer patients. That included patients who previously progressed on Cabometyx. Kura’s vision is to use darlifarnib in combination with other targeted drugs as a way to overcome resistance that eventually develops to the treatments. — Lei Lei Wu 💊 #ESMO25: Corbus, Johnson & Johnson’s showdown in head and neck cancer: Corbus drew eyes with Phase 1/2 data for its nectin-4 targeting antibody-drug conjugate, which is called CRB-701. The drug achieved response rates ranging from about 33% to 48% in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, depending on the dose. J&J is also eyeing HNSCC with Rybrevant. The bispecific antibody produced an overall response rate of 45% in a cohort of Phase 1b/2 patients with HPV-unrelated recurrent or metastatic disease, according to the presentation. — Ayisha Sharma