AstraZeneca extends cardiovascular pipeline with $2bn CSPC deal

 AstraZeneca has joined the ranks of pharma companies seeking to bring drugs targeting lipoprotein(a) to market, paying $100 million upfront for rights to a drug developed by CSPC Pharmaceutical.

The total value of the deal could rise above $2 billion if the Chinese biotech's candidate – codenamed YS2302018 – makes it to the market and meets commercial objectives.

Elevated Lp(a) is recognised as an independent genetic risk factor for coronary artery disease, heart attack, stroke, peripheral arterial disease, and aortic stenosis, and at the moment there are no approved drugs to reduce levels of the lipoprotein.

It is estimated that about 50% of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is not driven by LDL-cholesterol – the target of most lipid-lowering drugs, including statins and PCSK9 inhibitors – and that the majority of those cases are associated with Lp(a).

Among candidates that are furthest ahead in development is Amgen's RNA interference (RNAi) drugs lepodisiran and olpasiran and Novartis' antisense-based therapy pelacarsen, all in phase 3, while Silence Therapeutics has another RNAi candidate called zerlasiran in phase 2.

CSPC's drug differs from the others, as it is a small-molecule compound and orally bioavailable, so does not require administration by injection and could be given alongside other lipid-lowering therapies like statins.

The potential advantage of that is unclear for now, as Amgen has suggested, for example, that lepodisiran could be effective even if dosed as infrequently as once per year.

AZ said adding YS2302018 to its pipeline strengthens its cardiovascular portfolio with a drug that could have potential in a range of cardiovascular disease indications either alone or in combination, potentially with its oral small molecule PCSK9 inhibitor AZD0780, which generated preliminary clinical trial results earlier this year.

The company said recently it is moving "at pace" with AZD0780 into the next stage of development, with a phase 2b trial ongoing and data expected in the first half of 2025, as it builds a pipeline around its "foundational" heart failure therapy Farxiga (dapagliflozin).

"Given the scale of unmet need, with cardiovascular disease being a leading cause of death globally, advancing novel therapies that can be used alone or in combination to effectively address known risk factors and advance patient care is particularly important and a key part of our strategy," said Sharon Barr, AZ's head of biopharmaceuticals R&D.

https://pharmaphorum.com/news/az-extends-cardiovascular-pipeline-2bn-cspc-deal

Ukraine To End Gas Transit Agreement With Russia

 by Thomas Brooke via Remix News,

Ukraine will not extend its gas transit agreement with Russia after its expiration, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced during a joint press conference with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Leon Neal/Pool via AP)

The decision is part of Ukraine’s broader strategy to curb Russian energy revenues, which Kyiv claims are used to fund the ongoing war.

“Our strategic goal is to impose sanctions on the Russian gas molecule, to deprive the Kremlin of profits from the sale of hydrocarbons, for which the aggressor finances the war,” Shmyhal declared in a statement on his Telegram account.

The current transit agreement, which allows Russian gas to flow to Europe via Ukraine, is set to expire in 2024. Its non-renewal could have significant impacts on Europe’s energy landscape, particularly for countries still dependent on Russian supplies.

He called on all European nations to “completely abandon oil and gas from the Russian Federation,” urging a united front against Russia’s energy exports.

Shmyhal acknowledged the challenges faced by countries like Slovakia and Hungary, which remain heavily reliant on Russian gas. “We understand the acute dependence of some countries, in particular Slovakia, on this resource. But we count on a gradual diversification of supplies,” he said.

Despite Ukraine’s decision not to renew the transit deal, Shmyhal affirmed his country’s commitment to its international obligations.

“At the same time, Ukraine is ready to continue fulfilling its obligations in accordance with the Association Agreement with the European Union and the Energy Charter Treaty,” he wrote, signaling Ukraine’s ongoing cooperation with the EU in energy matters.

This commitment, however, has been questioned in recent months, with Ukraine blocking the “Friendship” oil pipeline from Russia, which delivers oil to Slovakia, Hungary, and Czechia. The move threatened to plunge the Central and Eastern European countries into an energy crisis and calls from the respective governments to reverse the decision fell upon deaf ears in Brussels.

“They are punishing us for our support for peace, and now they are attacking our energy security. And it is quite possible that this was not initiated by Ukraine alone, but was helped by the people of Brussels, or even by the pro-war American Democrats,” Tamás Menczer, the Hungarian communications director of Fidesz-KDNP, said at the time.

After Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó threatened court proceedings, Oleksiy Chernisov, the president of Ukrainian energy giant Naftogaz, responded by claiming that there had been no reduction in supplies — a remark that was heavily disputed by Budapest.

“I spoke with the Ukrainian foreign minister yesterday, and he said they allow every oil transfer through, but it’s not true. The European Commission has three days to execute our request, after which we will bring the issue to court,” he added in late July.

https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/ukraine-end-gas-transit-agreement-russia

UC San Diego Launches New "Climate Change Education Requirement"

 By Mary Stevens of Campus Reform

A California public university has officially launched a new update to its curriculum that will force all students to take at least one course on climate change.

Since the start of the current fall semester, the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) has begun mandating the “Climate Change Education Requirement” for brand new undergraduates. UCSD announced the curriculum update in November. 

A knowledge of climate change is required of all candidates for a Bachelor’s degree who are admitted to UC San Diego as a first-time, first-year student in Fall 2024 or thereafter,” the school website notes.

UCSD states that the Jane Teranes Climate Change Education Requirement “is designed to empower our students with the knowledge and skills needed to confront the urgent global challenge of climate change.”

Students have an extensive list of courses to choose from in order to fulfill the requirement, including: “Documenting Climate Change: Past and Present,” “Politics of Environmental Change,” “Climate Justice,” “The Astronomy of Climate Change,” “Gender and Climate Justice,” “Indigenous Approaches to Climate Change,” “Literature & the Environment,” “Critical Writing: Climate Change,” and “Environmentalism in Arts and Media.”

“UC San Diego has a long history of leadership in climate research and education, and the Jane Teranes Climate Change Education Requirement marks a new path forward,” Chancellor Pradeep Khosla told UC San Diego Today. “Whether undergraduates are majoring in STEM, the humanities, arts, social sciences or any other field, this requirement will equip them with a strong understanding of climate change and how they can contribute to meaningful solutions.” 

Many of the classes that fall under the Climate Change Education Requirement also overlap with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) courses. 

The new requirement was inspired by UC San Diego’s DEI Requirement, which began in 2011. The DEI Requirement is “designed to critically engage students with topics on race, power, and anti-racist efforts that meaningfully challenge structural racism,” according to UC San Diego Today.

“We took the best learnings from the DEI requirement—which [Jane Teranes] was also involved with—ensuring that the requirement does not add additional time to degree for students,” Muir College Provost Wayne Yang told the publication. “The climate requirement incentivizes and encourages faculty to integrate climate change education into their upper division courses, and thus deepens the curriculum by focusing on what students can actually do about climate change from their disciplines. Importantly, it treats climate change as an interdisciplinary issue.” 

This is not the first time that UCSD has aggressively pushed a climate change agenda. In May, the school invited former Vice President Al Gore as its commencement speaker, noting his commitment “to raising global awareness around and helping to mitigate the impacts of climate change — a commitment UC San Diego shares.”

Similarly, Columbia University hosted a week-long program in August in order to train middle school teachers on methods to instruct on climate change, with a focus on “culturally-sensitive learning.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/us-san-diego-launches-new-climate-change-education-requirement

SCOTUS Won't Review Rulings for Liquidia That Invalidate United Therapeutics’ Patent

 

• U.S. Supreme Court denied United Therapeutics’ petition to appeal rulings that found all claims of U.S. Patent No. 10,716,793 (‘793 Patent) were invalid
• Decisions that Liquidia does not infringe anyidia  valid claims of the three patents originally asserted by United Therapeutics are now final and not subject to further appeal

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/10/07/2959046/0/en/United-States-Supreme-Court-Declines-to-Review-Rulings-that-Invalidate-United-Therapeutics-Patent.html

Halozyme cut to Equal Weight from Overweight by Wells Fargo

 Target to $62 from $58

https://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=HALO&p=d

Obesity Drugmaker Rivus Eyes IPO

 

• Company may target raising more than $250 million in an IPO
• US listings for drug developers raised $3.2 billion this year

Rivus Pharmaceuticals Inc., a drug developer focused on obesity treatments, is considering a US initial public offering as soon as 2024, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The company is working with banks on a listing, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. Rivus, which counts RA Capital Management among its investors, may target raising more than $250 million, one of the people said.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-10-07/obesity-drugmaker-rivus-said-to-weigh-ipo-as-soon-as-this-year

This Is What Americans Want

 by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

During a campaign rally in Wisconsin, President Trump laid out his vision for when he returns to office, succinctly stating the core issues that resonate with the vast majority of Americans.

“Together, we will deliver low taxes, low regulations, low energy costs, low interest rates, and low inflation so that everyone can afford groceries, a nice car, and a home, the basics,” Trump vowed.

He continued, “We will stop the invasion, we will end migrant crime, we will strengthen our military, we will build a missile defense shield around our country.”

“We will keep Critical Race Theory and transgender insanity out of our schools, and keep men out of women’s sports, he further urged, adding “We will defend the Second Amendment, protect religious liberty, restore free speech, and we will secure our elections.”

“Everyone will prosper. Every family will thrive. And every day will be filled with opportunity and hope,” Trump promised.

He added the caveat, “But for that to happen, we must defeat Kamala Harris—and we must stop her country-destroying radical-left agenda once and for all. We want a landslide that is TOO BIG TO RIG!”

“A vote for Kamala is a vote for four more years of Crooked Joe Biden, it’s a disaster,” Trump warned, adding “A vote for Trump is a vote for CHANGE and it’s a vote to saving our country. If Kamala enacts her agenda, she will destroy America.”

Trump went on to lay out exactly why Harris would be such a calamitous wreck for America:

Meanwhile Kamala Harris was giggling about tampons on a sex podcast.

Trump is correct.

A landslide too big to allow fraud to have an impact is urgently needed.

His entire speech is below:

*  *  *

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/what-americans-want