STAT+: AstraZeneca invests $2 billion in Summit Therapeutics

Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. I have banned screens for my broken-legged 8-year-old. As a result, I’m hearing all about newly discovered ancient runes on my ceiling, along with endless varietals of bathroom rhymes. The need-to-know this morning Novo went shopping in China for a new obesity pill. The Danish drugmaker has licensed from Hengrui Pharma a once-weekly, oral GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist that is ready for Phase 1 clinical development. Novo paid Hengrui $300 million upfront for global rights (outside China) to the drug. Total deal value if all future milestones are met: $2.6 billion. Invivyd said its experimental monoclonal antibody designed to protect against Covid infection demonstrated superior safety and tolerability compared to a currently approved mRNA-based Covid vaccine, achieving the goal of a clinical trial. Immix Biopharma said its experimental CAR-T therapy induced complete remissions in 89% of patients with AL Amyloidosis, a rare autoimmune disorder in which toxic proteins build up in organs like the heart and kidneys. UniQure’s Huntington’s benefit is less pronounced four years in UniQure’s experimental Huntington’s gene therapy AMT-130 continued to slow disease progression four years after treatment. But the magnitude of the benefit declined from a year earlier — which could potentially complicate the therapy’s regulatory review, STAT’S Adam Feuerstein writes. STAT+ Exclusive Story Already have an account? Log in This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers Unlock this article — plus in-depth analysis, newsletters, premium events, and news alerts. Already have an account? Log in View All Plans To read the rest of this story subscribe to STAT+. Subscribe