GILEAD SCIENCES SL

Gilead Sciences announced a licensing deal for lenacapavir, an HIV treatment, with six generics manufacturers to be sold in 120 lower-income countries. Public Citizen and health groups urged Gilead to license through the Medicines Patent Pool for broader access. While the deal improves access for many, it excludes regions like most of South America and maintains Gilead's control over distribution. Licensing through the Medicines Patent Pool could have ensured more equitable access.

Kailera Therapeutics, backed by Atlas Venture, Bain Capital, RTW Investments, and Lyra Capital, emerges with a $400M Series A to develop GLP-1 drugs for obesity and metabolic conditions. Acquired from Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals, KAI-9531, targeting GLP-1 and GIP receptors, is in clinical trials for obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Led by CEO Ron Renaud and board chair John Milligan, Kailera aims to advance next-generation treatments for chronic weight management.

Japan's recent approval of Truvada, an HIV drug for treatment and prevention, faces barriers due to its high cost and insufficient public awareness, despite its effectiveness in reducing HIV infection risk.

2Seventy bio halts enrollment in a key multiple myeloma study for its therapy Abecma to save $80 million, aiming for financial break-even next year. Despite this, Abecma shows growth, with U.S. revenue expected to rise 30% in Q3. The decision reflects an improved treatment landscape for newly diagnosed patients, reducing eligible participants.

Illumina welcomed the ECJ's judgment on GRAIL acquisition; Moffitt Cancer Center and AstraZeneca collaborate on cell therapies; Ginkgo Bioworks introduced Ginkgo Automation; UTHealth Houston and OpenAI integrate AI in healthcare; 10x Genomics' platforms used in glioblastoma research; Generate:Biomedicines and Novartis collaborate on protein therapeutics; Firefly Neuroscience advances AI in neuroscience drug development; Scale Bio partners with CZI in the 100 Million Cell Challenge; Oracle launches CancerMPact Treatment Architecture Trends; Verseon's VersAI outperforms Google's AI; MilliporeSigma introduces Mobius ADC Reactor; Gilead and Genesis Therapeutics collaborate on small molecule therapies; Primrose Bio and ExPLoRNA partner on mRNA medicines; UC College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital find new drug discovery methods.

S.K., D.A.M., J.P., H.S., X.Z., P.H., T.X., and H.S. have financial ties to various pharmaceutical companies, including stock ownership and advisory roles. F.C., J.D., E.V.C., H.S.W., T.Y., R.Y., and J.T. also report consulting or advisory roles and research funding from multiple institutions and companies.

Yuhan Corporation tops net buying for top 1% investors at 9:30 a.m., driven by FDA approvals and collaborations. HPSP, a semiconductor equipment supplier, also sees net buying. HLB, Celltrion, and T&L experience net sales.

Opthea Limited has made executive leadership changes in finance and commercial areas, and hired senior staff in biometrics, clinical operations, and market access. These changes are in preparation for the anticipated clinical trial data in 2025. Key hires include Dan Geffken as interim CFO, Mike Campbell as CCO, Dayong Li as SVP of Biometrics, Jen Watts as VP of Global Clinical Operations, and Anthony Bonifazio as VP of Market Access.

Dato-DXd plus durvalumab achieved a 50% pathologic complete response (pCR) rate in stage II/III high-risk HER2-negative breast cancer patients, according to the I-SPY 2.2 trial. The study emphasizes evaluating treatment response per response predictive subtype (RPS) and suggests further investigation in immune-positive and hormone receptor (HR)-negative/DNA damage repair deficiency (DRD)-negative subtypes. The combination's efficacy was supported by the BEGONIA trial, showing a 79% objective response rate in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. The I-SPY 2.2 trial design uses RPS to optimize drug assignment, aiming to improve efficacy and minimize toxicity.

The Liberal National Coalition believes in Australia's life sciences and biotech sector's potential, highlighting strengths like health research, clinical trials, and biotech companies. The speaker criticizes current Labor Government policies for hindering sector growth, citing funding cuts and anti-business policies. They advocate for a Coalition approach focusing on commercializing research, attracting private investment, leveraging sector strengths, and avoiding picking winners, as demonstrated in past policies like the Medical Research Future Fund and National Innovation and Science Agenda.