Roche's Blockbuster Drug Meets Phase 3 Primary Endpoint; Janssen's Biologic Stelara Launches in China

[June 06, 2019 / Pharmaceutical News Brief] Yukin Therapeutics Completes €3.3 Million Financing; Roche’s Blockbuster Drug Meets Primary Endpoint in Phase III Trial; Regenerative Therapy Granted FDA Priority Review, Potentially Approved by Year-End; Janssen’s Biologic Stelara Launched, Administered via Subcutaneous Injection Every Three Months... Stay tuned with Sudu She for the latest daily pharmaceutical and medical news!(Click the title to access the original text)

Part 1 Industry and Economics Observation

| Yukin Therapeutics Completes €3.3 Million Financing

On June 4, French cancer therapy company Yukin Therapeutics announced the completion of a new €3.3 million (approximately $3.7 million) financing round. The round was co-led by Addvent France Biotechnology and Medicxi. Reportedly, Yukin Therapeutics will use the funds to develop its proprietary cancer therapeutics. (Arterial Network)

| Emerging Lung Disease Therapy Developer Secures $36 Million in Financing

Lung Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing innovative therapies for fibrosis, lung injury, and pulmonary-related diseases, recently announced the completion of a $36 million Series C financing round. The proceeds from this round will be used to support Phase 2 clinical trials of its lead candidate drug LTI-01 and Phase 1 clinical trials of LTI-03. (Chuangjian Hui)

Part 2 Pharmaceutical News and Medical Updates

| Roche’s Blockbuster New Drug Meets Primary Endpoint in Phase 3 Trial |

Roche Announces Its Blockbuster Influenza Drug Xofluza (baloxavir marboxil) Meets Primary Endpoint in Phase 3 Clinical Trial—Reducing Influenza Risk in Healthy Subjects to 1.9% When Family Members Are Infected (WuXi AppTec)

| CStone Pharmaceuticals’ CS1001 in Combination with BLU-554 for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Clinical Trial Approved

CStone Pharmaceuticals Announces Clinical Trial Approval in China for CS1001 in Combination with BLU-554 (CS3008) for the Treatment of Locally Advanced or Metastatic Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). The trial is a multicenter, open-label, multiple-dose Phase Ib/II study designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles, and antitumor efficacy of this combination therapy in the aforementioned indication. (PR Newswire)

| Regenerative Therapy Granted FDA Priority Review, Expected to Gain Approval by Year-End

Today, Enzyvant Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing innovative therapies for patients with rare diseases, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted its Biologics License Application (BLA) for the investigational therapy RVT-802 and granted it Priority Review designation. (WuXi AppTec)

| Janssen’s Biologic Stelara Launched: Subcutaneous Injection Every Three Months

Johnson & Johnson’s pharmaceutical subsidiary in China, Xi’an Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd., announced that STELARA® (ustekinumab injection), the world’s first fully human “dual-target” inhibitor of interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interleukin-23 (IL-23), has been launched in China. (PR Newswire)

| Top 10 Best-Selling Drugs in 2024: Keytruda to Overtake Humira for the Top Spot

EvaluatePharma, a leading global pharmaceutical market research firm, recently released the report “World Preview 2019, Outlook to 2024,” which points out that global prescription drug sales are projected to reach $1.18 trillion in 2024. During the forecast period (2019–2024), the market is expected to grow rapidly at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.9%, significantly higher than the 2.3% recorded during the 2010–2018 period. (Sina Pharmaceutical News)

| Study Finds Vitamin D Extends Survival in Cancer Patients

Doctors at Michigan State University found that taking vitamin D for at least three years could help cancer patients live longer. The study results indicate that, in addition to promoting bone health, vitamin D offers significant benefits. These findings were presented on June 3, 2019, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (Bioon).

| Immune Cells Determine the Growth Rate of Cancer Cells

Recently, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, through their study on brain tumors in mice, discovered that immune cells originally meant to protect the body against diseases can sometimes be induced to assist tumor cells. The researchers found that the more immune cells attracted by the tumor, the faster its growth rate. (Bio Valley)

| Red meat and white meat have comparable effects on blood cholesterol levels in the body

Recently, a research report published in the international journal The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicated that scientists from the University of California found, contrary to traditional beliefs, that consuming red meat and white meat (such as poultry) may have similar effects on cholesterol levels in the blood. (Bioon)

| Studies Show E-Cigarettes Increase the Risk of Heart Disease

Recently, a study conducted by researchers from the University of Arizona College of Medicine, the University of Illinois Chicago, and the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, revealing the potential risks of e-cigarettes to the cardiovascular system. (New Perspectives in Medicine)