Nestle to acquire Aimmune Therapeutics; Vir Bio & GSK’s COVID-19 monoclonal antibody therapy; AstraZeneca’s Farxiga scores goal in Phase III CDK trial

Nestle acquires peanut allergy treatment with USD 2 Billion Aimmune buyout

Nestle has announced a definitive agreement to extend its acquisition of Aimmune Therapeutics. Nestle will pay an additional amount of USD 2 Billion to buy the remaining shares of Aimmune. With the acquisition, Nestle will gain Aimmune’s Palforzia, expanding its broader spectrum of solutions for children living with food allergies.

Palforzia is the first therapy approved to reduce the frequency and severity of allergic reactions associated with Peanut allergy,  including anaphylaxis, in children aged 4 through 17.  The drug can be used in conjunction with a peanut-avoidant diet.

Several other pharma players including DBV Technologies, AnaptysBio, Roche, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Prota Therapeutics, Camallergy, HAL Allergy B.V., and others are also developing treatments for peanut allergies.

Vir Bio and GSK Doses First Patient With Its COVID-19 Monoclonal Antibody Therapy

In a race to develop a vaccine for COVID-19, Vir Biotechnology and GlaxoSmithKline have taken a step ahead by dosing the first patient in Phase II/III clinical trial of its vaccine VIR-7831. The trial is running the therapy as early treatment for COVID-19 patients at high risk of hospitalization.

VIR-7831 is designed as monoclonal antibody therapy. Antibodies are isolated by the companies from immune cells of affected individuals, and later on, screened for their affinity for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. 

The trial Vir-GSK COMET-ICE plans to enroll about 1,300 patients globally, those who are previously infected with the infection. VIR-7831 is administered in a single-dose monoclonal antibody to test if the therapy can prevent hospitalization from the disease. 

Earlier, Regeneron also launched their Phase III trial of REGN-COV2, which is a two-antibody cocktail against SARS-CoV-2, in collaboration with the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). 

AstraZeneca’s Farxiga Scores Goal In Phase III Chronic Kidney Disease Trial

AstraZeneca announced the results for its therapy Farxiga (dapagliflozin), in the Phase III clinical trial indicated for chronic kidney disease. 

Farxiga is administered as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes in the US. It reduces the risk of hypertensive heart failure in adults with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease or multiple cardiovascular risk factors. 

The trial DAPA-CKD evaluated 4,304 patients with 10mg Farxiga compared to placebo. The trial revealed that Farxiga significantly helped improve with the standard of care decreased the composite measure of worsening of renal function or risk of cardiovascular (CV) or renal death by 39% compared to placebo.