Sanofi DCV CMO Leaves
Riccardo Perfetti (pictured below), Sanofi’s VP Medical Affairs and Head of the DCV Global Medical Team, has reportedly left Sanofi to serve as the CMO of Applied Therapeutics. Perfetti had been with Sanofi since October 2007.
Riccardo Perfetti (pictured below), Sanofi’s VP Medical Affairs and Head of the DCV Global Medical Team, has reportedly left Sanofi to serve as the CMO of Applied Therapeutics. Perfetti had been with Sanofi since October 2007.
Novo Nordisk has entered into an R&D collaboration with Ossianix, a Philadelphia-based R&D company. Ossianix utilizes its single domain VNAR antibody to increase drug absorption across the blood brain barrier (BBB). According to the press release, Ossianix will deliver a predefined number of therapeutic agents to Novo for the treatment of diabetes and other metabolic diseases. Below, FENIX provides context of the R&D agreement as well as thoughts on potential targets that Novo is pursuing.
Merck and its partner Healthy Interactions launched a newly updated unbranded digital diabetes app called Map4health. Previously, the app was available with fewer features under the name “Conversation Map.” Interestingly, the platform can be used by both patients and HCPs; however, Merck and Healthy Interactions are primarily marketing the platform to HCPs with the intent to drive patient uptake through HCP recommendations. Below, FENIX provides an overview of the app features as well as thoughts on the program.
Novo Nordisk has formed a strategic alliance with Evotec for the discovery and development of novel small molecule compounds for the treatment of diabetes, obesity, NASH, CVD, and diabetic kidney disease. The partnership with Evotec is Novo’s 5th external R&D collaboration since the start of 2018. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Below, FENIX provides insight into Novo’s ongoing efforts to build up its early stage pipeline in adjacent therapy areas to diabetes via external partnerships.
Zealand hosted its Q2 ’18 earnings call (press release) and provided updates on its diabetes portfolio including dasiglucagon, which is being studied for three distinct indications (hypoglycemia rescue, use in a dual-hormone pump, and congenital hyperinsulinism).
Novo Nordisk hosted its post-Q2 ’18 earnings event in London. The format of the event was different than in past quarters. This event started with a short presentation by Novo’s CEO and was followed by a “Meet the Management” session that was not available through webcast. Below are highlights from the available presentation.
Express Scripts has released its Exclusion List Changes for the 2019 National Preferred commercial formulary.
A Ph1 CT.gov record for a new Novo drug (NNC0113-2023; NN9023) has been observed. The compound appears to be an oral peptide for multiple reasons including the fact that it uses SNAC, the same gut delivery technology as oral semaglutide. Below, FENIX provides evidence and insight into potential MOAs of the compound.
Lilly hosted its Q2 ’18 earnings call and provided updates on its marketed and pipeline products. Lilly announced three major pipeline updates including advancement of their QW GIP/GLP-1 agonist to Ph3 after meeting a “high bar” in Ph2 trials, filing of nasal glucagon, and discontinuation of their Ph1 GPR142 agonist. Of further interest, President of Lilly Diabetes, Enrique Conterno, indicated the median follow-up for REWIND would be ~5 years (providing an additional ~1 year for Kaplan-Meier curve separation compared to the 3.8-year median follow-up for LEADER).
Senseonics has announced a global partnership with Glooko, allowing for integration of the Eversense implantable CGM with Glooko’s diabetes data management platform. Under the partnership, Eversense data can be synced to the Glooko platform directly from the Senseonics cloud, allowing both users and HCPs to access historical glucose and related data. Below, FENIX analyzes the value of this partnership for Senseonics.