A Prodrug Bioactivated in the Eye for Ocular Hypertension: Omidenepag
Other articles you may be interested in
From AZ to VC: Tracing Our Industry’s Recent Evolution Through A Career
Our Drug Hunter subscribers at Curie.Bio recently made headlines with the launch of their new >$500M venture fund with a new model for early-stage biotech financing to help founders launch therapeutics companies. Curie.Bio intends to act not only as an investor, but also as a day-to-day operating partner to help founders choose targets [...]
Billion-Dollar Molecules: Etavopivat, an Allosteric PKR Kinase Activator for Sickle Cell Disease
Billion-Dollar Molecules: Etavopivat, an Allosteric PKR Kinase Activator for Sickle Cell Disease Abstract. Novo Nordisk has acquired Forma Therapeutics for $1.1B for its primary investigational drug, etavopivat. Etavopivat, a past Molecule of the Month , is an oral, once-daily allosteric activator of pyruvate kinase-R (PKR), which is [...]
The Covalent Drug Comeback
Whereas covalent drugs were once considered risky for indications other than cancer due to the potential for idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury and other toxicities, concerns appear to have softened as an increasing number of non-oncology covalent inhibitor programs have achieved successful outcomes. Here we highlight several recent anecdotes in covalent inhibitor drug discovery that seem to reflect these changing attitudes, including billion-dollar acquisitions and approvals outside oncology, and a few modern examples that showcase the increasingly rich science in this area.
KIN-3248: Overcoming FGFR Resistance with a Next-Generation Pan-FGFR Inhibitor
KIN-3248 (Kinnate Biopharma) is a next-generation, irreversible, pan-fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitor (FGFRi) in a first-in-human (FIH) dose-escalation study (NCT05242822) in adults with advanced tumors harboring FGFR2 and FGFR3 gene alterations. The program is an excellent case study for rational covalent drug design to address kinase mutations while maintaining sufficient PK properties for oral daily dosing in humans.
Small Molecules Acquired in 2021 M&A: Deep Dive
There were 16 acquisitions of companies with small molecule drug assets in 2021 and one merger. Here is a more in-depth look into all of the lead small molecules acquired in 2021, including a review of: The lead molecules in each acquisition and their structural representations where disclosed The mechanism of action, stage, and indication of [...]
