Athena Gold Corp

2024 was a challenging year for the biopharma industry, with companies like Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Johnson & Johnson cutting hundreds to thousands of jobs. Cassava Sciences announced layoffs of 10 employees, 33% of its workforce, following a failed Phase III trial for its Alzheimer's drug. CytomX Therapeutics cut 40% of its staff to focus on clinical programs. Velia, a San Diego biotech, is shutting down, affecting 47 employees. Regeneron's acquisition of Oxular led to layoffs, with no Oxular employees joining Regeneron. Javara, Ring Therapeutics, Outlook Therapeutics, Editas, Bavarian Nordic, BenevolentAI, Chroma Medicine and Nvelop Therapeutics, Cellectar Biosciences, Carisma Therapeutics, Belharra Therapeutics, National Resilience, AmplifyBio, Agenus, Alligator Bioscience, Idorsia Pharmaceuticals, Kronos Bio, Novartis, Recursion Therapeutics, Medigene, Alector, Bristol Myers Squibb, Sonata Therapeutics, 23andMe, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Gilead Sciences, Adaptimmune, Sensei Biotherapeutics, Marinus Pharmaceuticals, Orna Therapeutics, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Charles River Laboratories, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, Viracta Therapeutics, Astellas Gene Therapies, Sana Biotechnology, Sage Therapeutics, Compass Pathways, Spero Therapeutics, ICON, Pfizer, Takeda, SalioGen Therapeutics, Evonik, Medtronic, CareFusion Resources, Turnstone Biologics, Leo Pharma, Astellas Pharma, Prime Medicine, Kaléo, Stryker, Relay Therapeutics, ImmunityBio, Shattuck Labs, Inventprise, bluebird bio, Athira Pharma, AGC Biologics, Oncternal Therapeutics, Biosense Webster, Vesigen Therapeutics, Connect Biopharma, BioMarin, IN8bio, Edwards Lifesciences, DermTech, Repare Therapeutics, Genentech, Tome Biosciences, Aadi Bioscience, Lykos Therapeutics, Evotec, Galera Therapeutics, Grail, Ovid Therapeutics, Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Acelyrin, Boundless Bio, FibroGen, Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services, AN2 Therapeutics, Entero Therapeutics, Precigen, Sumitomo Pharma America, uniQure, Vir Biotechnology, Arbutus Biopharma, HilleVax, and Bayer also announced significant layoffs, reflecting a tough year for the industry.

John Miller cares for his wife Cheryl, who has Alzheimer's, navigating clinical trials and treatment setbacks. Despite challenges, John remains hopeful for future treatments and continues to seek options for Cheryl, emphasizing the emotional toll and daily struggles faced by caregivers.

John Miller cares for his wife Cheryl, who has Alzheimer's, navigating clinical trials and treatment setbacks. Despite challenges, John remains hopeful, seeking new trials and insurance coverage for effective treatments like Kisunla. Caregivers face daily battles, balancing hope with despair over trial outcomes, as Alzheimer's research continues to offer potential breakthroughs.

Leen Kawas discusses high drug development costs, driven by complex clinical trials, logistics, patient attrition, and regulatory standards. She proposes strategies to reduce costs, including efficient trial operations, AI integration, drug reuse, collaboration, and beneficial regulatory reform. Decentralized clinical trials are also highlighted as a growing trend for cost reduction.

Recent Alzheimer’s and dementia research highlights include FDA approval of Alpha Cognition’s Zunveyl, failed phase 3 trials, legal issues for Cassava Sciences, and compassionate use of a new drug. CTAD conference data revealed anti-tau drugs' lack of efficacy, while Tiziana’s foralumab received FDA clearance for compassionate use. Eisai’s anti-tau drug E2814 showed potential in reducing biomarkers. Roche’s trontinemab and UCB’s beprenemab faced setbacks, and Athira’s Fosgonimeton failed in Phase 2/3. Gene therapy LX001 showed stabilization in amyloid levels and reduction in tau biomarkers. Symptomatic treatments like Zunveyl and Montelukast showed promise in managing memory symptoms.

Athira Pharma to present LIFT-AD trial results for fosgonimeton at CTAD 2024, showing directional benefits in cognition and function for moderate AD and APOE4 carriers, with biomarker data supporting HGF modulation's neuroprotective mechanism.

Athira Pharma to present LIFT-AD trial results for fosgonimeton at CTAD 2024. Despite not achieving statistical significance for primary and secondary endpoints, fosgonimeton showed favorable trends in cognition and function in specific subgroups. Athira continues to develop ATH-1105, a next-gen HGF modulator, for neurodegenerative diseases like ALS and AD.