Bayer AG and Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio), a gene therapy company wholly owned and independently operated as a subsidiary of Bayer AG, on Sunday April 14 presented results from the 18-month Phase Ib clinical trial for AB-1005, an investigational gene therapy for treating patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).(1,2) The data were presented at the American Academy of Neurology 2024 Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, USA.

The study met its primary objective, which was to evaluate the safety of a one-time bilateral delivery of AB-1005 directly to the putamen.

Bayer AG and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. today announced a collaboration to develop next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based companion diagnostic assays (CDx) together. These will help identify patients who may benefit from Bayer's growing portfolio of precision cancer therapies by offering decentralized genomic testing and rapid turnaround time.

Bayer and Aignostics GmbH announced a strategic collaboration on several artificial intelligence (AI)-powered approaches with applications in precision oncology drug research and development. Aignostics is a spin-off from one of the world's leading hospitals, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, and a global leader in using computational pathology to transform complex biomedical data into biology insights.

AstraZeneca announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Amolyt Pharma, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel treatments for rare endocrine diseases.

The proposed acquisition will bolster the Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease late-stage pipeline and expand on its bone metabolism franchise with the notable addition of eneboparatide (AZP-3601), a Phase III investigational therapeutic peptide with a novel mechanism of action designed to meet key therapeutic goals for hypoparathyroidism.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for the company's 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, marketed in the European Union under the brand name PREVENAR 20®, for active immunization for the prevention of invasive disease, pneumonia and acute otitis media caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae in infants, children and adolescents from 6 weeks to less than 18 years of age.

Novartis today presented new data that continue to support the clinical benefits of Zolgensma® (onasemnogene abeparvovec), the only one-time gene therapy for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Final data from the SMART study highlight the safety and efficacy profile of Zolgensma in children with SMA weighing ≥ 8.5 kg to ≤ 21 kg, with a mean age of 4.69 years, most of whom (21/24, 87.5%) had discontinued use of another disease modifying therapy at the time of treatment.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) today announced top-line ABRYSVO® vaccine efficacy and safety data for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in adults 60 years of age and older following a second season in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres from the ongoing pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial (NCT05035212) RENOIR (RSV vaccine Efficacy study iNOlder adults Immunized against RSV disease).