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AC Immune and Lilly reach agreement on drug collaboration

Biopharmaceutical company AC Immune has reached an amended agreement with Eli Lilly for the development of an Alzheimer’s treatment.
The amendment to the 2018 license includes an agreement on the collaboration to research and develop Tau aggregation inhibitor small molecules for the potential treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. That includes the development of new lead Tau Morphomer candidates and potential back-up compounds.
Morphomer Tau candidates were selected for their ability to enter the brain when dosed orally, and for their specific binding to the targeted pathological conformation of the Tau protein. AC Immune has generated strong preclinical data suggesting that Tau Morphomers should be clinically relevant for inhibiting aggregation and seeding across pathological and disease stages.
Under the amendment, AC Immune will receive a CHF10 million ($12.5 million) upfront payment and a subsequent milestone payment with Phase I dosing, in addition to milestones announced in a prior amendment.
AC Immune is eligible for further development, regulatory and commercial milestones of over CHF1.7 billion ($2.1 billion), plus tiered percentage royalty payments in the low double digits, as previously disclosed.
“The progress in this collaboration highlights the important breakthroughs we have made with Morphomer small molecules for intracellular targeting of Tau,” said Dr Andrea Pfeifer, CEO of AC Immune.
“We look forward to working with the team at Lilly to drive forward the development of these potentially disruptive small molecule therapeutics for early-stage treatment and long-term prevention of neurodegenerative diseases.
“Increasingly, the scientific evidence suggests that targeting intracellular Tau can slow or even completely halt the pathology. This collaboration exemplifies our work towards precision prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. We expect to initiate Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies imminently.”
The post AC Immune and Lilly reach agreement on drug collaboration appeared first on Drug Discovery World (DDW).
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CleanAssure Launched as an ISO Class 5 Controlled Cleanroom for Sterile Single-Use Assemblies
Freudenberg Medical, a Kaiserslautern, Germany-based contract design manufacturing partner, launched CleanAssure, a new ISO Class 5 controlled cleanroom designed to deliver clean and sterile single-use assemblies for biopharmaceutical customers, according to the company.
Freudenberg Medical manufactures silicone and thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) tubing for bioprocessing and critical fluid transfer. The company specializes in seamless, overmolded single-use assemblies used in vaccine production, cell cultivation, fluid transfer, and fill-finish operations.
The controlled cleanroom enables customers to receive ready-to-use washed, dried, and gamma sterilized single-use assemblies with the highest product quality, sterility, and process consistency, noted Rudi Gall, vp, global pharma, Freudenberg Medical.
“CleanAssure allows us to support our customers beyond component manufacturing,” he said. “By integrating controlled cleaning and sterilization into our single-use assembly services, we help reduce contamination risk, streamline validation activities, and support a reliable supply for our customers. We can now support customers with their entire component value chain and allow them to focus on their core manufacturing capability.”
Freudenberg’s cleaning process uses ultrapure water and air, operating within ISO 5 conditions. The water is produced using a multi-stage filtration process, resulting in high-purity water specifically suitable for pharmaceutical applications.
Key biopharma industry challenges
Biopharmaceutical manufacturers increasingly rely on single-use systems but face ongoing challenges related to cleaning validation, contamination risk, and production downtime. Customer-managed cleaning processes are often time-intensive, costly, and require additional resources while directly impacting supply reliability, according to Gall.
The company explained that its controlled cleaning environment addresses these challenges by reducing cross-contamination risk through tightly controlled ISO Class 5 processing; alleviating customer cleaning validation burden by delivering assemblies washed and sterilized under cGMP, validated conditions; minimizing production downtime by removing cleaning as a process step; and supporting a consistent, reliable supply of high-quality single-use assemblies.
Freudenberg will be attending INTERPHEX New York, April 21–23, Booth 1673, to exhibit its new products and services.
The post CleanAssure Launched as an ISO Class 5 Controlled Cleanroom for Sterile Single-Use Assemblies appeared first on GEN – Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.
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STAT+: At AACR, a provocative use of CAR-T, Merck’s new thing and cancer’s geography problem
You’re reading the web version of STAT’s popup newsletter, AACR in 30 seconds, your guide to what’s happening at the American Association of Cancer Researchers’ annual meeting. Sign up here.
We’re back with more data from the AACR meeting! Among the highlights today: a first look at a drug Merck acquired from China, a fascinating but potentially controversial use for CAR-T, and American oncology’s geography problem. Don’t forget: Tuesday night we will host a live event in San Diego, and we also have a virtual recap of the AACR conference on Thursday.
CAR-T shows deep response in smoldering myeloma
In an early phase trial, investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute treated 20 high risk smoldering multiple myeloma patients with Carvykti, a BCMA directed CAR-T therapy. The idea was to use the immunotherapy on patients with the multiple myeloma precursor condition, hoping to prevent the active cancer in patients at high risk of progression.
You’re reading the web version of STAT’s popup newsletter, AACR in 30 seconds, your guide to what’s happening at the American Association of Cancer Researchers’ annual meeting. Sign up here.
We’re back with more data from the AACR meeting! Among the highlights today: a first look at a drug Merck acquired from China, a fascinating but potentially controversial use for CAR-T, and American oncology’s geography problem. Don’t forget: Tuesday night we will host a live event in San Diego, and we also have a virtual recap of the AACR conference on Thursday.
CAR-T shows deep response in smoldering myeloma
In an early phase trial, investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute treated 20 high risk smoldering multiple myeloma patients with Carvykti, a BCMA directed CAR-T therapy. The idea was to use the immunotherapy on patients with the multiple myeloma precursor condition, hoping to prevent the active cancer in patients at high risk of progression.
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STAT+: Former banker brought on to revitalize Pfizer’s strategy departs his post
Pfizer executive Andrew Baum, a former analyst at the investment bank Citi who joined the company in June 2024 to redirect its strategic approach, has left his role as an executive vice president and as chief strategy and innovation officer, the company confirmed Monday. He will continue as an adviser to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla until the end of the year.
Pfizer and sources familiar with the matter described the move as stemming from both a sense that Baum had accomplished what he set out to do and a streamlining of Pfizer’s operations.
“Pfizer regularly evaluates its operations to ensure it is best positioned to deliver on the company’s business in the near-term and beyond,” the company said in a statement. It said that organizational and leadership changes would “position Pfizer to move faster, make clearer decisions, and advance innovation across the enterprise.”
Pfizer executive Andrew Baum, a former analyst at the investment bank Citi who joined the company in June 2024 to redirect its strategic approach, has left his role as an executive vice president and as chief strategy and innovation officer, the company confirmed Monday. He will continue as an adviser to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla until the end of the year.
Pfizer and sources familiar with the matter described the move as stemming from both a sense that Baum had accomplished what he set out to do and a streamlining of Pfizer’s operations.
“Pfizer regularly evaluates its operations to ensure it is best positioned to deliver on the company’s business in the near-term and beyond,” the company said in a statement. It said that organizational and leadership changes would “position Pfizer to move faster, make clearer decisions, and advance innovation across the enterprise.”
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