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ASTRA Therapeutics Secures CHF 7.75 Million to Develop Novel Anti-Parasitic Drugs for Veterinary Medicine

Precision Medicine
  • ASTRA Therapeutics raised CHF 7.75 million in seed funding led by MIG Capital and Digitalis Ventures to advance its proprietary ParaX® platform for developing precision anti-parasitic drugs.
  • The Swiss biotech company targets the growing veterinary parasiticide market worth over $10 billion, addressing critical drug resistance issues where up to 98% of heartworm cases resist standard therapies in some regions.
  • ASTRA's pipeline includes over 15 patentable chemical classes of Parabulins® targeting tubulin in parasites, with initial proof-of-concept demonstrated for treating coccidia in farm animals and heartworm in pets.

Novartis Partners with Matchpoint Therapeutics in $1 Billion Anti-Inflammatory Drug Development Deal

  • Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis has entered into a collaboration agreement with U.S. biotech Matchpoint Therapeutics worth up to $1 billion to develop oral anti-inflammatory therapies.
  • Matchpoint will lead the research and development process using its proprietary technology to create drugs that block specific protein activity and reduce inflammation-causing signals.
  • The deal includes $60 million in upfront payments and research funding, with potential milestone payments reaching $1 billion if Novartis exercises its licensing option.
  • Upon exercising the option, Novartis would gain exclusive global rights to develop and commercialize all products resulting from the collaboration.

Stanford Study Shows Ibogaine Dramatically Reduces PTSD and Depression in Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury

  • Stanford Medicine researchers found that ibogaine treatment led to an 88% reduction in PTSD symptoms and 87% reduction in depression symptoms in 30 special operations veterans with traumatic brain injury.
  • Brain scans revealed that ibogaine alters neural activity by increasing theta rhythms associated with neuroplasticity and reducing cortical complexity linked to stress responses.
  • The psychedelic compound, derived from African iboga shrub roots, showed no serious side effects and improved veterans' cognitive function, memory, and concentration within one month of treatment.
  • Based on these findings, Texas approved a $50 million initiative to fund clinical trials of ibogaine, representing one of the largest government investments in psychedelic therapy.

FDA Grants Priority Review for Flibanserin Expansion to Postmenopausal Women with HSDD

Drug Approval
  • The FDA has granted Priority Review to a supplemental new drug application seeking to expand flibanserin 100 mg (Addyi) indication to include postmenopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder.
  • Flibanserin is currently the only FDA-approved, non-hormonal oral therapy for low sexual desire in premenopausal women, and this expansion would address an unmet need for postmenopausal women.
  • The application is supported by robust clinical trial data from the largest clinical trials in women's sexual health, with Health Canada already approving the drug for postmenopausal women based on the same evidence.
  • If approved, this would represent the first FDA-approved pharmacologic therapy for HSDD in postmenopausal women, potentially benefiting the estimated 40% of women who experience low sexual desire at some point in their lives.

Flibanserin for the Treatment of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder in Postmenopausal Women in North America

NCT01057901TerminatedPhase 3
Sprout Pharmaceuticals, Inc
Posted 1/1/2010

Intranasal Insulin Successfully Reaches Memory Centers in Alzheimer's Brain Imaging Study

  • A first-in-human imaging study demonstrates that intranasal insulin can safely reach 11 key brain regions involved in memory and cognition in older adults, including the hippocampus and amygdala.
  • The study enrolled 16 participants with a mean age of 72 years and used radiolabeled insulin with PET brain scans to measure real-time uptake across memory-related brain areas.
  • Cognitively normal adults showed higher insulin uptake compared to those with mild cognitive impairment, who demonstrated faster clearance and lower cumulative insulin delivery.
  • The findings provide critical validation for intranasal drug delivery systems and establish a foundation for future therapeutic trials targeting Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment.

Incyte Reports Strong Q2 2025 Results with Jakafi Growth and New Drug Approvals

Drug ApprovalMonoclonal AntibodyOncology
  • Incyte reported strong second quarter 2025 financial results with Jakafi net revenues of $764 million, representing 8% year-over-year growth driven by increased demand across all indications.
  • The company achieved two significant regulatory milestones with FDA approvals of Zynyz for squamous cell anal carcinoma and Monjuvi for follicular lymphoma, expanding treatment options for cancer patients.
  • Niktimvo, launched in Q1 2025, demonstrated continued strong commercial uptake with $13.6 million in sales, while Opzelura revenues grew 35% to $164 million driven by increased patient demand in both atopic dermatitis and vitiligo.
  • The company raised its 2025 revenue guidance for Jakafi and other oncology products, reflecting strong first-half performance and successful product launches.

MAXPIRe: Study to Evaluate Axatilimab in Participants With Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF)

NCT06132256RecruitingPhase 2
Syndax Pharmaceuticals
Posted 12/11/2023

A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Axatilimab in Combination With Ruxolitinib in Participants With Newly Diagnosed Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease

NCT06388564RecruitingPhase 2
Incyte Corporation
Posted 10/11/2024

A Study to Evaluate Axatilimab and Corticosteroids as Initial Treatment for Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease

NCT06585774RecruitingPhase 3
Incyte Corporation
Posted 1/21/2025

Ivermectin Mass Treatment Reduces Malaria Transmission by 26% in Landmark BOHEMIA Trial

  • The BOHEMIA trial, the largest study on ivermectin for malaria to date, demonstrated a 26% reduction in new malaria infections when administered alongside standard bed nets in Kenya.
  • Over 20,000 participants in Kwale County, Kenya received monthly ivermectin doses for three consecutive months, showing significant malaria reduction with only mild, transient side effects.
  • The World Health Organization's vector control advisory group has reviewed the findings and recommended further studies, marking a potential breakthrough in malaria control strategies.
  • Beyond malaria prevention, ivermectin treatment provided additional benefits including reduced prevalence of scabies, head lice, and bed bugs in treated communities.

Broad One Health Endectocide-based Malaria Intervention in Africa (BOHEMIA)

NCT04966702CompletedPhase 3
Barcelona Institute for Global Health
Posted 3/17/2022

Kling Bio Partners with Sanofi to Develop Next-Generation Antiviral Antibodies Using Proprietary B Cell Platform

Monoclonal Antibody
  • Kling Bio has entered into a collaboration and license option agreement with Sanofi to discover neutralizing antibodies against a clinically relevant human viral pathogen using its Kling-Select platform.
  • The Kling-Select platform leverages patient-derived B cells to rapidly identify novel antibodies and conserved viral epitopes, with validated candidates already developed against RSV, COVID-19, and influenza.
  • The partnership aims to develop next-generation antiviral therapeutics and inform more efficacious vaccine design by combining Kling Bio's antibody discovery expertise with Sanofi's vaccine development leadership.
  • The collaboration highlights the potential of B cell immortalization technology to address global health challenges through the discovery of first-in-class, human-derived antibodies.

Harvard AI Model PDGrapher Accelerates Drug Discovery by Predicting Cellular Disease Reversal

AIDrug Discovery
  • Harvard Medical School researchers developed PDGrapher, an AI model that identifies cellular changes to reverse disease states, offering a new approach to drug discovery beyond traditional single-target methods.
  • The graph neural network-based tool demonstrated superior performance in testing, ranking correct targets up to 35% higher than similar models while delivering results up to 25 times faster across 19 datasets from 11 cancer types.
  • PDGrapher successfully identified known drug targets including KDR (VEGFR2) for non-small cell lung cancer and TOP2A for tumor spread, confirming its clinical relevance and potential for personalized treatment design.

MediciNova Nears Completion of Phase 2/3 ALS Trial as COMBAT-ALS Study Approaches Full Enrollment

Orphan Drug
  • MediciNova's Phase 2/3 COMBAT-ALS trial for MN-166 (ibudilast) is down to single-digit enrollment requirements, marking a critical milestone in ALS treatment development.
  • The company's MN-001 (tipelukast) Phase 2 trial for dyslipidemia and fatty liver disease in type 2 diabetes patients needs only two more subjects to complete enrollment.
  • Top-line data from the COMBAT-ALS trial is anticipated by the end of next year, with regulatory discussions with the FDA being actively prepared.
  • A parallel $22 million NIH-funded Expanded Access Program is steadily enrolling patients, demonstrating significant interest from the ALS community.

Safety, Tolerability and Activity Study of Ibudilast in Subjects With Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

NCT01982942CompletedPhase 2
MediciNova
Posted 11/1/2013

Evaluation of MN-166 (Ibudilast) for 12 Months Followed by an Open-label Extension for 6 Months in Patients With ALS

NCT04057898RecruitingPhase 2
MediciNova
Posted 5/28/2020

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