Breaking WORLD PHARMA NEWS

An old drug with new tricks

As the hunt for effective cancer therapies intensifies, some scientists are turning back to look at old drugs in a new light. The anti-malarial hydroxychloroquine is one such drug that has been "repurposed" to fight cancer. Despite its effectiveness at blocking the resupply of needed resources to cancer cells, clinical trial results have been disappointing, in part because cancer cells eventually become resistant to the drug.

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New anti-cancer agent works without oxygen

"As tumors grow very quickly, consume a lot of oxygen and their vascular growth can't necessarily keep pace, they often contain areas that are poorly supplied with oxygen," explains Johannes Karges. These areas, often in the center of the tumor, frequently survive treatment with conventional drugs, so that the tumor initially shrinks but doesn't disappear completely. This is because the therapeutic agents require oxygen to be effective.

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GSK enters agreement to acquire CMG1A46 from Chimagen Biosciences to expand immunology pipeline

GSK plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK) and Chimagen Biosciences (Chimagen), a privately held biotechnology company, announced an agreement for GSK to acquire CMG1A46, a clinical-stage dual CD19 and CD20-targeted T cell-engager (TCE), from Chimagen for $300 million upfront. GSK plans to develop and commercialise CMG1A46 with a focus on B cell-driven autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis (LN), with potential to expand into related autoimmune diseases.

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Researchers discovered a cancer mechanism that can eliminate tumors - even those resistant to immunotherapy

A technological breakthrough by medical researchers at Tel Aviv University enabled the discovery of a cancer mechanism that prevents the immune system from attacking tumors. The researchers were surprised to find that reversing this mechanism stimulates the immune system to fight the cancer cells, even in types of cancer considered resistant to prevailing forms of immunotherapy. The breakthrough was led by Prof. Carmit Levy, Prof. Yaron Carmi, and PhD student Avishai Maliah from TAU's Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences. The paper was published in the leading journal Nature Communications.

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Implantable microparticles can deliver two cancer therapies at once

Patients with late-stage cancer often have to endure multiple rounds of different types of treatment, which can cause unwanted side effects and may not always help.

In hopes of expanding the treatment options for those patients, MIT researchers have designed tiny particles that can be implanted at a tumor site, where they deliver two types of therapy: heat and chemotherapy.

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Unique multidomain enzymes from bacteria

Pharmaceutical scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have identified and characterised a unique multidomain enzyme capable of catalysing two distinct types of reactions, both vital for making drug molecules.

Natural products produced by living organisms such as plants, animals, and microorganisms, govern various survival and defence purposes. However, these compounds can be repurposed as drugs and medicines. Many well-known drugs, including ibuprofen and penicillin, are derived from these natural products.

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Immune cell discovery offers new potential for cancer immunotherapy

Researchers at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University have identified a novel type of immune cell, called the stem-like CD4 T cell, that plays a pivotal role in anti-tumor immunity. The pre-clinical findings, published in Nature, highlight the potential to activate these cells to fight tumors more effectively, offering new hope for broader treatment success, particularly in patients with cancer that is unresponsive to current immunotherapies.

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Bayer and Dewpoint Therapeutics sign licensing agreement for heart disease program

Bayer has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Dewpoint Therapeutics, Inc. for a heart disease program to treat dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients, who are characterized through carrying specific mutations. This is the first option exercise under the research collaboration between Bayer and Dewpoint Therapeutics, Inc., which began in November 2019. It leverages Dewpoint's proprietary platform for biomolecular condensates and Bayer's small molecule R&D capabilities to develop new treatments for cardiovascular and renal diseases.

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Repurposing mifepristone: new hope for anti-aging treatments

New research from biologists at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences reveals that mifepristone, a drug best known for its use for ending early pregnancies, might also extend lifespan. The findings could pave the way for anti-aging treatments.

Mifepristone, which is also used to treat Cushing's disease and certain cancers, has caught the attention of scientists exploring ways to promote longer, healthier lives.

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U.S. FDA approves Pfizer's RSV vaccine ABRYSVO® for adults aged 18 to 59 at increased risk for disease

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ABRYSVO ® (Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine), the company's bivalent RSV prefusion F (RSVpreF) vaccine, for the prevention of lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) caused by RSV in individuals 18 through 59 years of age who are at increased risk for LRTD caused by RSV. ABRYSVO now offers the broadest RSV vaccine indication for adults, which previously included those 60 years and older.

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