{"id":606509,"date":"2024-06-05T11:55:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-05T15:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/lilly-details-mash-data-for-tirzepatide-cytokinetics-comments-on-past-sale-talks\/"},"modified":"2024-06-05T12:01:11","modified_gmt":"2024-06-05T16:01:11","slug":"lilly-details-mash-data-for-tirzepatide-cytokinetics-comments-on-past-sale-talks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/lilly-details-mash-data-for-tirzepatide-cytokinetics-comments-on-past-sale-talks\/","title":{"rendered":"Lilly details MASH data for tirzepatide; Cytokinetics comments on past sale talks","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"
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Today, a brief rundown of news from Eli Lilly, Cytokinetics and AbbVie, as well as updates from Gilead and the National Institutes of Health that you may have missed from earlier this week.<\/em><\/p>\n

Eli Lilly<\/strong>\u2019s drug tirzepatide \u2014 sold as Zepbound for obesity \u2014 continues to show promise in the liver disease MASH. Clinical trial data disclosed in an abstract ahead of a European medical conference<\/a> indicates that, after one year, the shot helped improve liver fibrosis without worsening MASH in just over half of treated participants, compared with 30% of those given placebo. Lilly had hinted at the study\u2019s success<\/a> earlier this year, but the full data will provide a more complete view of tirzepatide\u2019s potential. The abstract\u2019s release comes one day after Viking Therapeutics<\/strong> released trial data<\/a> for its MASH pill VK2809 and less than two months after Madrigal Pharmaceuticals<\/strong> won U.S. approval of the first MASH drug<\/a>. Madrigal shares fell Wednesday morning, as did those of several other MASH drug developers. \u2014 Jonathan Gardner<\/em><\/p>\n

Cytokinetics <\/strong>CEO Robert Blum confirmed the biotechnology company held sale talks late last year, as was reported around then by The Wall Street Journal and Reuters. In comments at a conference<\/a> hosted by the investment bank Jefferies Wednesday, he said Cytokinetics engaged in \u201cgood faith negotiations\u201d with an unnamed third party regarding an acquisition. While Cytokinetics\u2019 board was supportive of proceeding with discussions on \u201csubstantially the terms the counterparty communicated,\u201d that company ultimately did not move forward with an acquisition. \u2014 Ned Pagliarulo<\/em><\/p>\n

Gilead Sciences<\/strong> has reached an agreement<\/a> to settle federal lawsuits alleging the company delayed introducing an antiviral treatment so that it could extend patent protection for its HIV drug business. The company, which has not admitted liability or wrongdoing, will pay up to $40 million to a group of approximately 2,625 plaintiffs, provided 98% agree to the settlement. Litigation in California on this same issue, which involves two forms of the HIV drug tenofovir, remains pending at the state\u2019s supreme court. \u2014 Ned Pagliarulo<\/em><\/p>\n

AbbVie<\/strong> said Wednesday it has enrolled the first patient in a Phase 3 trial of its dual-acting antibody ABBV-383<\/a> for multiple myeloma. ABBV-383 binds to a protein flag called BCMA on diseased cells and another called CD3 on T cells to spur an immune attack on the blood cancer. The mechanism is similar to that of the approved drugs from Johnson & Johnson<\/strong> and Pfizer<\/strong>. AbbVie\u2019s trial will enroll 380 people whose disease has progressed after at least two lines of therapy. Patients will receive either ABBV-383 or another combination therapy. Researchers will follow patients to assess treatment responses and whether AbbVie\u2019s drug helps stave off cancer progression better than the comparator treatments. \u2014 Jonathan Gardner<\/em><\/p>\n

Two clinical trials will test Gilead Sciences<\/strong>\u2019 long-acting HIV drug lencapavir as preventive therapy in cisgender women and in people who inject drugs. The studies, which are funded by Gilead and run through the HIV Prevention Trials Network, will test whether twice-yearly injections of lencapavir works better as pre-exposure prophylaxis than an existing regimen. Cisgender women and injectable drug users have been underrepresented in studies of HIV treatment, according to a statement from the National Institutes of Health, which provides grants to the trials network. \u2014 Ned Pagliarulo<\/em><\/p>\n