Development

The ever-increasing complexity of biotherapeutic molecules presents unique analytical challenges for developers.

Developing analytical methods and bioassays is necessary from early on in the drug development life cycle.

Eli Lilly and Company has announced its acquisition of biotech firm Protomer Technologies, giving it a protein-engineering platform for next-generation protein therapeutics.

Sparx Therapeutics will build its first commercial manufacturing facility in Yangzhou, China, for antibody drug production.

GlaxoSmithKline and Alector have partnered to co-develop two mAbs for a range of neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

Tezepelumab, being developed by AstraZeneca in collaboration with Amgen, reduced asthma exacerbations in Phase II and III clinical trials.

The collaboration continues as the companies design bioprocess impurity reagent sets to detect residual HCP from HEK 293 cells.

Selexis and KBI Biopharma will use integrated services to advance Immatics’ TCR bispecifics drug development program to the IND stage.

Catalent expands capabilities for stem cell-based therapies with acquisition of RheinCell’s GMP-grade human iPSCs.

Corbus Pharmaceuticals has licensed two integrin-targeting mAbs, expanding its therapeutics pipeline into inflammatory, fibrotic, and metabolic diseases as well as cancer.

AbbVie has exercised its right to acquire TeneoOne, along with its lead immunotherapeutic asset for the potential treatment of multiple myeloma.

FDA has granted breakthrough therapy designation to donanemab, Eli Lilly and Co.’s investigational antibody treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

SP Scientific Products’ SP Hull LyoStar 4.0 R&D freeze dryer supports rapid freeze-dry cycle development, optimization, and process scale-up.

The companies have entered into an agreement to develop processes for a novel immunotherapy protein.

The companies will utilize the Cocoon Platform for clinical point-of-care manufacturing.

The guidance provides recommendations for including premenopausal women in breast cancer clinical trials.

The US government will invest $3 billion from the American Rescue Plan into a COVID-19 antiviral development strategy.

GlaxoSmithKline and iTeos Therapeutics enter into a development and commercialization collaboration worth up to $2.08 billion for a new therapeutic anti-cancer mAb candidate.

Evonik and Stanford University have signed a research collaboration to develop and market a new drug delivery platform for mRNA and gene therapy.

What can the biopharma industry learn from its rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic?

Researchers from the Chalmers University of Technology and AstraZeneca have developed a new method of detecting and testing lipid nanoparticles.

VIVEbiotech has opened its new lentiviral vector manufacturing facilities in Spain, expanding capacity for lentiviral vectors for use in cell and gene therapies.

FDA has granted fast track designation to a GLP-1/glucagon dual agonist in development by Boehringer Ingelheim and Zealand Pharma for the treatment of NASH.

FDA has granted Janssen breakthrough therapy designation for teclistamab, an investigational bispecific antibody under development for treating relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

Well-defined studies are crucial to effective process development.