lauren@drughunter.com
Recent Articles by Lauren
2021 First-in-Class Large Molecule Drug Approvals (Pt. III)
This deep dive into 2021’s first-in-class large molecule drug approvals is the third in a series of focus articles on 2021’s novel large molecule drugs. See part one here, and part two here. For each of the 11 first-in-class large molecule drug approvals of 2021 (excluding vaccines), we’ll explore in more detail: how they work…
Shaken by An Unexpected Patient Connection
with Julien Lefranc We asked one of our reviewers, Julien Lefranc, about what inspires and excites him about drug discovery. Here, he tells us about an unexpected, moving connection with a cancer patient, and what drives him to work every day. About Julien Julien is a Principal Scientist at Merck KGaA in Darmstadt and is…
Molecules of the Month – May 2022
A fat-tissue-targeting clinical candidate, a first-in-class Ph. III molecule that inhibits its target by covalently modifying the target’s substrate, and a fourth-generation glucokinase activator are some examples in Drug Hunter’s May 2022 edition of Molecules of the Month. In this month’s slide deck, you’ll find a molecule that had mitigated QTc prolongation over a prior…
Acceleron’s TGF-beta Ligand Trap, Trillium’s SIRP-alpha Fusion Proteins, and Eight Other Large Molecules Acquired in 2021
Our team conducted a review of all of the biotech mergers and acquisitions of 2021 and distilled it down to the acquisitions of drug discovery-focused biotechs here. There were 10 acquisitions of companies with large molecule drug assets in 2021. Here is a more in-depth look into all of the lead large molecules acquired in 2021,…
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…
FDA Novel Drug Approvals: May 2022
There were three novel small molecules approved in May 2022: vonoprazan (Voquezna): a potassium-competitive acid blocker (PCAB) tapinarof (Vtama): an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonist tirzepatide (Mounjaro): a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist This deep dive explores each drug in more detail, including the industry context, the clinical data,…