Santa Cruz, Calif. – A handful of billion-dollar deals in the rare disease space highlights the uptick in Big Pharma’s investment, but it’s still extremely low compared to the money flowing to more common indications. They’re rare, they’re confounding, and R&D for therapies to address them is painfully underfunded. Rare...
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Washinton, DC – On March 15, the FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee will meet to discuss two CAR T cell therapies for multiple myeloma—Abecma, from Bristol Myers Squibb and 2seventy bio, and Carvykti, from Johnson & Johnson and Legend Biotech. Both treatments are currently approved for the treatment of adults...
Washington, DC – In February 2024, Larimar Therapeutics released positive Phase II data for its injectable subcutaneous investigational agent nomlabofusp in treating Friedreich’s ataxia, a rare disease that causes neuromuscular degeneration. The data indicate that Larimar could go head-to-head in the market with Biogen’s Skyclarys, the only disease-specific therapy for Friedreich’s...
Washington, DC – As the oncology space moves away from single oncogene-targeted treatments, immunotherapies that aim to prevent immune fatigue and enhance immune cell engagement are emerging as promising therapeutic trends, experts told BioSpace. But these therapies are not always intended to be deployed on their own. Increasingly, scientists and...
Dallas, Texas – Taysha Gene Therapies touted positive early-stage data last month for its gene therapy to treat Rett syndrome, which has become the company’s main focus after cutting other programs and laying off 35% of its staff. If successful, the candidate for Rett syndrome has the capability to put...
Washington, DC – Advances in antibody-drug conjugates, including novel payloads and new targets, will be featured at the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual conference, taking place this week in San Diego, where companies, including Elevation Oncology and Tubulis, will present new data from their respective programs. The first antibody-drug...
Washingon, DC – After a years-long drought, progress in the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) space began to accelerate with the 2022 approval of Amylyx’s Relyvrio and Biogen and Ionis’ Qalsody in 2023. But now, that progress appears to have stalled. Earlier this month, Amylyx announced it would pull Relyvrio from...
Washington, DC – Over the last few years, we’ve witnessed a significant shift in the regulatory space for rare disease therapeutics, with the FDA and other authorities making conscious efforts to implement much-needed regulatory flexibility to accommodate the practical challenges of trial design for these conditions. For small biotechs and...
Washington, DC – Despite having not yet received full approval, Travere Therapeutics’ first-in-class endothelin and angiotensin II receptor antagonist Filspari—which received the FDA’s accelerated approval in February 2023—is already making strides in treating IgA nephropathy. A rare autoimmune disease, IgA nephropathy occurs when immunoglobulin A accumulates in the kidneys, leading...
New York, NY – Since 2016, the FDA has approved three disease-modifying treatments for spinal muscular atrophy, with several companies—including Novartis, Scholar Rock and Biogen—progressing novel candidates through clinical trials. The last decade has fundamentally changed how clinicians treat spinal muscular atrophy. In 2016, Biogen’s Spinraza became the FDA-approved treatment for SMA,...