Daily Snap - 13. August 2025

Author

Joachim Eeckhout
August 13, 2025

Good morning! Femtech company Gameto has raised $44 million in a Series C funding to support the completion of Phase 3 clinical trials for Fertilo, its lead IVF therapy using stem cell-derived ovarian support cells to mature eggs outside the body, significantly reducing hormone treatment duration. It’s the first time an iPSC-derived therapy has reached late-stage clinical development in reproductive health in the U.S. and possibly the first time IVF and “quick and easy” have appeared in the same sentence.

Enjoy today’s read!

—Joachim E.

SNIPPETS

What’s happening in biotech today?

🧪 B-Cell buster: Novartis has built on its early week success with its third Phase 3 win for ianalumab, a dual-mechanism, B-cell-depleting antibody. In a late-stage trial for primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), ianalumab—combined with the thrombocytopenia drug Promacta (eltrombopag)—significantly prolonged time to treatment failure and improved sustained platelet counts over six months, meeting both primary and key secondary endpoints. Administered as four once-monthly doses, ianalumab is being positioned as a potential long-term treatment option that could reduce the burden of ongoing therapy. Novartis aims to seek approval for ITP in 2027, using data from ongoing studies.

🌬️ Fibrosis spinoff: PureTech has launched Celea Therapeutics, a new subsidiary focused on advancing deupirfenidone (LYT-100), a deuterated version of Roche’s former IPF drug Esbriet, for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other lung diseases. Led by former Teva North America CEO Sven Dethlefs, Celea aims to address the limitations of current IPF therapies by offering improved efficacy and safety, as shown in a phase 2b trial and ongoing extension data. The launch reflects PureTech’s hub-and-spoke model, which fosters asset development through independent subsidiaries. PureTech plans to meet with the FDA by late Q3 to discuss its phase 3 trial strategy.

🌾Allergy avengers: Zurich-based biotech company Mabylon has raised €31.8 million through a capital increase and convertible loan to advance its lead candidate, MY006, a tri-specific antibody targeting peanut allergens, through Phase Ia/b trials by 2027. The funding also supports the development of Mabylon’s early-stage pipeline, including MY010 for birch-related allergens and MY011 for grass pollen allergies. Mabylon specializes in human-derived, multi-specific antibodies believed to offer superior therapeutic potential for allergies and inflammatory conditions.

💥 Bladder breakthrough: Pfizer and Astellas announced a breakthrough phase 3 win for the combination of their co-developed drug Padcev (an antibody-drug conjugate) and Merck’s Keytruda (an anti-PD-1 therapy) in treating muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) patients who are ineligible for or decline cisplatin chemotherapy. The combo given before and after surgery significantly improved event-free survival, overall survival, and complete response rates compared to surgery alone. This marks the first phase 3 success in this patient group and positions the regimen as a potential new standard of care.

 🧠OCD flop: Biohaven Pharmaceuticals has ended development of its small molecule troriluzole for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) following a failed phase 3 trial. This marks another clinical setback for the prodrug of riluzole, which had already failed previous trials in OCD, Alzheimer’s disease, and spinocerebellar ataxia. Despite these setbacks, the FDA is currently reviewing troriluzole for spinocerebellar ataxia after a more promising second phase 3 trial, with a decision expected in Q4 2025. Biohaven will reallocate resources to other pipeline programs.

SPEED READ

✅ Good news

  • Portal Innovations is raising a $100 million life sciences fund and partnering with universities to launch startup incubators amid declining reliance on federal research funding.

  • X4 Pharmaceuticals secured $60 million in PIPE financing to advance mavorixafor’s commercialization and development, while simultaneously announcing immediate leadership changes, including a new CEO and CFO.

  • Biogen and Stoke Therapeutics have dosed the first patient in a global Phase 3 trial evaluating zorevunersen, a potential disease-modifying RNA therapy for Dravet syndrome.

❌ Bad news

  • Vaxart's 10,000-participant phase 2b trial of its oral COVID-19 vaccine was abruptly halted by BARDA for unclear reasons, despite recent funding and positive safety reviews.

  • Two sources familiar with Abata Therapeutics claim that the company has ceased operations due to funding challenges.

  • Oric Pharmaceuticals is cutting all discovery research roles and laying off 20% of staff to extend its cash runway into late 2028 by focusing resources elsewhere.

  • Fate Therapeutics is cutting 12% of its workforce and shifting focus to iPSC-derived CAR T-cell programs over CAR NK candidates to extend funding through 2027.

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