This week's Lab Notes has news on a Philadelphia research institute's involvement in a public-private HIV drug, a Montgomery County company's acquisition of two drugs, a Main Line laboratory product supplier's North Jersey expansion plans and more.
Here's the roundup:
Monell Chemical Senses Center
The Philadelphia nonprofit research institute has joined an international public-private partnership, led by Gilead Sciences, that is working to develop pediatric formulations of the HIV medicines tenofovir and sofosbuvir designed to eliminate or reduce the bitterness of the two drugs.
“The goal is to increase compliance in taking medication among children, who in general are particularly sensitive to bitter taste,” said Nancy E. Rawson, Monell's acting director and president.
Rawson said the collaboration will leverage Monell’s expertise in human taste biology and novel human taste cell culture technology.
Health experts estimate that globally 1.7 million children under the age of 15 live with HIV. Just over 50% take antiretroviral treatment compared to 76% of adults living with HIV.
In addition to Monell and Gilead, the partnership includes Eurofins’ Translational Cell Models group, an international clinical research organization formerly operated as DiscoveryBiomed. The Clinton Health Access Initiative partnered with Gilead to advance and apply bitter blocker technology in pediatric formulations.
The project has received funding support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
Serb Pharmaceuticals
The German specialty pharmaceutical company that has its U.S. operations in Montgomery County acquired two medicines, Vistogard and Xuriden, from WellStat Therapeutics of Rockville, Maryland.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Vistogard is an emergency treatment for adult and pediatric patients following an overdose of fluorouracil or capecitabine, chemotherapy agents commonly used to treat a variety of solid tumors. Xuriden is a treatment for adult and pediatric patients with hereditary orotic aciduria, a rare genetic disorder associated with megaloblastic anemia as well as failure to thrive, developmental delay, epilepsy, susceptibility to infection, and orotic acid crystals in the urine.
"Acquiring these medicines is in line with our strategy to focus on emergency care and rare diseases,” Serb Pharmaceuticals President Jeremie Urbain said in a statement.
Both medicines are commercially available in the U.S. and distributed across Europe on a named patient or compassionate use basis. The products will be sold in the U.S. by BTG Pharmaceuticals, a division of Serb based in West Conshohocken.
Avantor
The Radnor-based lab products and services provider for life sciences companies is planning to relocate and expand its North Jersey innovation center.
Avantor's (NYSE: AVTR) Bridgewater Innovation Center opened in 2017 in Bridgewater and serves as a "technology-driven research and collaboration environment" where the company works with its customers to develop and enhance product offerings.
The new location is set to open in August 2024 at 77 Corporate Drive, also in Bridgewater. It will double the center's current 27,000 square feet of lab and research space. The company declined to disclose the cost of the new center.
The expanded innovation center is being designed to support customers' pipelines across a variety of treatment modalities, including monoclonals, cell and gene therapy and mRNA treatments. The center will feature a development and application area, including a viral vector laboratory, and larger and more flexible pilot labs to more quickly produce novel excipients, resins and biopharma reagents. Additional pilot areas for "upstream and downstream" production will highlight Avantor's chemical manufacturing and single-use expertise.
"This expansion allows us to take an even more collaborative approach to move science forward," said Nandkumar Deorkar, senior vice president of research and development and of innovation at Avantor.
The center currently has a staff of 50. Avantor said that figure will grow with expansion, but would not say by how much.
Quick Hits
Conshohocken-based Madrigal Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: MDGL) completed the rolling submission of its new drug application for resmetirom, its experimental treatment for adults with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and liver fibrosis. NASH is a fatty liver disease characterized by inflammation of the liver. It causes scar tissue called fibrosis to build up on the liver and can lead to liver failure. There currently is no FDA-approved medicine for the condition, which typically shows no symptoms until the disease becomes severe, necessitating a liver transplant. The American Liver Foundation estimates that 5% of U.S. adults have NASH. … XyloCor Therapeutics reported positive mid-stage clinical trials results for its lead investigational gene therapy, XC001, in patients with refractory angina. Al Gianchetti, CEO of the Wayne company, said the study results "further enhance our confidence that we are on the right path for transforming outcomes in cardiovascular disease.” … Wayne-based Palvella Therapeutics announced positive late-stage clinical trial results for its lead new drug candidate Qtorin, which the company is developing as a treatment for rare, genetic skin disease pachyonychia congenita. … ArriVent Biopharma of Newtown Square has entered into a clinical development collaboration with InnoCare Pharma of Beijing. Under the agreement, the two companies will jointly conduct a clinical study to evaluate the anti-tumor activity and safety of a combination therapy involving new drug candidates in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. … Horsham-based Reliefband entered into a deal through which Reletex, its wearable non-invasive neuromodulation device available by prescription for nausea and vomiting, will be distributed and billed exclusively by electroCore of Rockaway, New Jersey, within the Department of Veterans Affairs and other federal entities.
