On March 21, 2022 Oasmia Pharmaceutical AB, an oncology-focused specialty pharmaceutical company, and Lonza, a global development and manufacturing partner to the pharma, biotech and nutrition industries, reported that the companies have signed a large-scale manufacturing agreement for the main drug intermediate in the supply of clinical material for its investigational drug candidate, Cantrixil (Press release, Vivesto, MAR 21, 2022, View Source [SID1234611841]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Cantrixil, an intraperitoneally administered drug in development for the treatment of late-stage ovarian cancer, was licensed by Oasmia from the Australian pharmaceutical company Kazia in 2021, having successfully completed a Phase I trial. Ovarian cancer is one of the most aggressive cancers and is difficult to treat in advanced stages. The Phase I study of Cantrixil demonstrated the potential for it to provide prolonged survival in advanced ovarian cancer by inducing ovarian cancer stem cells’ death and sensitizing cancer cells to standard chemotherapy. Oasmia is now preparing for the initiation of a Phase II trial of Cantrixil in advanced ovarian cancer.

Under the terms of the agreement, Lonza will provide kilogram-scale synthesis, purification, and stability testing of Cantrixil, and deliver cGMP batches of drug substance for clinical supply. Oasmia will leverage Lonza’s extensive experience and expertise in manufacturing highly-potent API (HPAPI). The drug substance will be manufactured at Lonza’s recently expanded production facility at Nansha, China. The manufacturing is expected to begin later in March 2022.

Kai Wilkinson, Chief Technical Officer at Oasmia, commented: "We are excited to have partnered with Lonza, a global leader in drug manufacturing. The manufacture of Cantrixil is planned to be performed in three steps and this agreement is the first and most crucial step in us securing the clinical drug supply for its development."

Christian Dowdeswell, VP and Global Head, Commercial Development – Small Molecules, Lonza, added: "Our team has extensive experience with supporting the development and manufacture of challenging molecules. We are looking forward to collaborating with Oasmia to advance this promising drug candidate in the clinic."

On March 21, 2022 Pulse Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLSE), a novel bioelectric medicine company commercializing the CellFX System powered by Nano-Pulse Stimulation (NPS) technology, reported it will report financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2021 after market close on Thursday, March 31, 2022 (Press release, Pulse Biosciences, MAR 21, 2022, View Source [SID1234610604]). Company management will host a corresponding conference call beginning at 1:30pm Pacific Time.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Investors interested in listening to the conference call may do so by dialing 1-877-705-6003 for domestic callers or 1-201-493-6725 for international callers. A live and recorded webcast of the event will be available at View Source

On March 21, 2022 Prothena Corporation plc (NASDAQ:PRTA), a late-stage clinical biotechnology company with a robust pipeline of investigational therapeutics built on protein dysregulation expertise, reported that members of its senior management team will participate in a fireside chat at the Stifel 2022 Virtual CNS Days on Monday March 28, 2022 at 12:30 PM ET (Press release, Prothena, MAR 21, 2022, View Source [SID1234610603]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

A live webcast of the fireside chat can be accessed through the investor relations section of the Company’s website at www.prothena.com. Following the live presentation, a replay of the webcast will be available on the Company’s website for at least 90 days following the presentation date.

On March 21, 2022 Novo Nordisk reported that initiated a share repurchase programme in accordance with Article 5 of Regulation No 596/2014 of the European Parliament and Council of 16 April 2014 (MAR) and the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 of 8 March 2016 (the "Safe Harbour Rules") (Press release, Novo Nordisk, MAR 21, 2022, View Source [SID1234610595]). This programme is part of the overall share repurchase programme of up to DKK 22 billion to be executed during a 12-month period beginning 2 February 2022.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Under the programme initiated 2 February 2022, Novo Nordisk will repurchase B shares for an amount up to DKK 4.4 billion in the period from 2 February 2022 to 2 May 2022.

With the transactions stated above, Novo Nordisk owns a total of 35,310,319 B shares of DKK 0.20 as treasury shares, corresponding to 1.5% of the share capital. The total amount of A and B shares in the company is 2,310,000,000 including treasury shares.

Novo Nordisk expects to repurchase B shares for an amount up to DKK 22 billion during a 12- month period beginning 2 February 2022. As of 18 March 2022, Novo Nordisk has since 2 February 2022 repurchased a total of 3,524,151 B shares at an average share price of DKK 679.99 per B share equal to a transaction value of DKK 2,396,381,074.

On March 21, 2022 RNAGene Inc., a South Korean biotech which specializes in the development of mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid)-based therapeutics, reported that it has signed a Collaborative Research Agreement with PharmAbcine Inc. (KOSDAQ: 208340ks), a clinical-stage biotech company focusing on the development of next-generation antibody therapeutics (Press release, RNAGene, MAR 21, 2022, View Source [SID1234610504]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Under the agreement, both companies will collaborate to develop next-generation mRNA-based antibody therapeutics by utilizing the proprietary mRNA platform from RNAGENE.

Unlike the existing antibody treatments, in which antibodies are artificially produced from external cell lines, mRNA-based therapies involve administration of mRNA in patients so that patients’ own cells can produce the encoded therapeutic antibody.

"The Company entered this agreement because this partnership gives us an extraordinary opportunity to expand our development strategy and discover new possibilities in the mRNA therapeutic area," said Dr. Jin-San Yoo, CEO of PharmAbcine. "Through this collaboration, both parties will explore new potentials between the two platforms and develop a new therapeutic approach to help patients with unmet medical needs."

"One of the key strengths of mRNA therapy is that it is simple and cost-effective because there is no need to produce antibodies externally in a facility," said Dr. Woo Gil Lee, CEO of RNAGENE. "We are delighted to have PharmAbcine, one of the leading antibody-based therapeutic companies, as a partner for this collaborative research, and we are confident that our advanced mRNA technology platform will help create alternative therapeutic options in oncology field."