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BioPharma, Pharma

Cancer biotech Pheast unveils $76M to expand immunotherapy’s menu to new targets

Biotech startup Pheast Therapeutics is out of stealth taking a tack similar to that of cancer immunotherapy company Forty Seven, also a spinout from the Stanford University lab of Irving Weissman. While both companies get immune cells to eat tumors, Pheast’s technology has the potential to take the approach to a broader range of cancer types including those that have historically resisted immunotherapy.

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BioPharma, Pharma

Heart drug’s trial failure busts bid to best Pfizer, but BridgeBio still bets on coming data

BridgeBio reported its drug acoramidis missed the main goal of a pivotal study in patients with transthyretin amyloidosis affecting the heart—the same type of patients helped by a currently approved blockbuster Pfizer drug. BridgeBio attributed the trial failure to a surprisingly strong placebo response, and it will continue the study, hoping for better outcomes on additional goals.