Latest news with #IDRx
Business Recorder
13-06-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
GSK says EU heath regulator reviewing expansion of RSV vaccine
GSK said on Friday the European Medicines Agency had accepted the drugmaker's application to expand the use of its respiratory syncytial virus vaccine, Arexvy, to include adults from 18 years of age. GSK to buy US biotech firm IDRx for up to $1.15 billion A decision by the European Union's health regulator on the vaccine, already approved for certain age groups, is expected in the first half of 2026, GSK said.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kesmalea Therapeutics Appoints Industry Veteran Tim Clackson to Board of Directors
Dr. Clackson is former CEO of IDRx, acquired by GSK in 2025 for up to $1.15 billion Kesmalea's SELFTAC® platform is designed to solve the 'size problem' of large, bifunctional protein degraders by transforming them into small molecules SELFTAC® drug candidates are oral and CNS penetrant, combining powerful protein degradation with a rational small molecule design process LONDON, May 14, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kesmalea Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of novel therapeutics founded on the ability to transform large heterobifunctional protein degraders into small molecules, today announced the appointment of senior life sciences executive Dr. Tim Clackson to its Board of Directors. Dr. Clackson brings to Kesmalea more than three decades of experience building oncology companies, including leading the R&D behind three approved drugs. He most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Boston-based IDRx, Inc., a precision oncology therapy developer which was acquired by GSK in 2025 for up to $1.15 billion. "Kesmalea's science represents a highly innovative, modular and scalable solution to unlock the full potential of targeted protein degradation," said Dr. Clackson. "I look forward to working with their impressive team and the Board to help bring SELFTAC technology to the clinic and maximize its value." "Targeted protein degradation holds enormous promise for medicine, but its most prominent drug class, PROTACs, faces innate issues caused by molecular size and structure. As we work to solve these challenges with our unique approach, we're assembling a world-class team to bring our mission to life," said Clive Dix, Chairman of the Kesmalea Board. "We're delighted to welcome Tim to the Board - his impressive track record of discovering and developing high impact targeted therapies for a range of cancer types will be invaluable as we translate our drug discovery research into revolutionary new medicines." As IDRx CEO, Dr. Clackson led a team developing a best-in-class targeted therapy for gastrointestinal stroma tumor (GIST), through clinical proof-of-concept, a Series B financing and the acquisition by GSK. Prior to IDRx, Dr. Clackson was President and CEO of Theseus Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on development of targeted oncology therapies, where he led the Company through its initial public offering and early clinical development for its lead product candidate for GIST and other targeted therapies in its pipeline. Prior to Theseus, he served as President at Xilio Therapeutics, a privately held oncology company developing tumor-selective immunotherapies, where he led the development of the company's technology and product strategy. From 1994 to 2018, Dr. Clackson was with ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, serving as President of R&D and Chief Scientific Officer from 2010. He played a key role in the company's evolution from early research to a global commercial oncology company, and its subsequent acquisition by Takeda for $5.2 billion. Dr. Clackson led the multi-disciplinary R&D team that internally discovered and developed five clinical-stage product candidates, including ICLUSIG® (ponatinib), approved for patients with treatment-resistant Ph+ leukemias; ALUNBRIG® (brigatinib), approved for ALK+ non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); and EXKIVITY™, approved for Exon20 insertion+ NSCLC. Dr. Clackson received his B.A. in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford, his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Cambridge, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Genentech. He serves as a Director on the Board of Elevation Oncology and previously served as a Director on the Boards of Forma Therapeutics (acquired by Novo Nordisk), Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals, and the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio). About Kesmalea Therapeutics Kesmalea is developing a pipeline of novel therapeutics founded on the ability to transform large protein degraders into small molecules. This is achieved through SELFTAC®, a platform designed to combine the power of protein degradation with small molecule advantages such as oral bioavailability and central nervous system (CNS) penetration, among others. Kesmalea's current research spans targets in oncology and diseases of the CNS, with broader applicability. The company is built on foundational scientific work by founder & CSO Harry Finch, Ph.D., a noted medicinal chemist and entrepreneur. Kesmalea has offices and labs in London, UK. Kesmalea's £25m Series A was led by Syncona Ltd alongside Oxford Science Enterprises. For more information, please visit: View source version on Contacts Media:Tom DonovanLyrebird Consulting+44 7498 152764 Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kesmalea Therapeutics Appoints Industry Veteran Tim Clackson to Board of Directors
Dr. Clackson is former CEO of IDRx, acquired by GSK in 2025 for up to $1.15 billion Kesmalea's SELFTAC® platform is designed to solve the 'size problem' of large, bifunctional protein degraders by transforming them into small molecules SELFTAC® drug candidates are oral and CNS penetrant, combining powerful protein degradation with a rational small molecule design process LONDON, May 14, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kesmalea Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of novel therapeutics founded on the ability to transform large heterobifunctional protein degraders into small molecules, today announced the appointment of senior life sciences executive Dr. Tim Clackson to its Board of Directors. Dr. Clackson brings to Kesmalea more than three decades of experience building oncology companies, including leading the R&D behind three approved drugs. He most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Boston-based IDRx, Inc., a precision oncology therapy developer which was acquired by GSK in 2025 for up to $1.15 billion. "Kesmalea's science represents a highly innovative, modular and scalable solution to unlock the full potential of targeted protein degradation," said Dr. Clackson. "I look forward to working with their impressive team and the Board to help bring SELFTAC technology to the clinic and maximize its value." "Targeted protein degradation holds enormous promise for medicine, but its most prominent drug class, PROTACs, faces innate issues caused by molecular size and structure. As we work to solve these challenges with our unique approach, we're assembling a world-class team to bring our mission to life," said Clive Dix, Chairman of the Kesmalea Board. "We're delighted to welcome Tim to the Board - his impressive track record of discovering and developing high impact targeted therapies for a range of cancer types will be invaluable as we translate our drug discovery research into revolutionary new medicines." As IDRx CEO, Dr. Clackson led a team developing a best-in-class targeted therapy for gastrointestinal stroma tumor (GIST), through clinical proof-of-concept, a Series B financing and the acquisition by GSK. Prior to IDRx, Dr. Clackson was President and CEO of Theseus Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on development of targeted oncology therapies, where he led the Company through its initial public offering and early clinical development for its lead product candidate for GIST and other targeted therapies in its pipeline. Prior to Theseus, he served as President at Xilio Therapeutics, a privately held oncology company developing tumor-selective immunotherapies, where he led the development of the company's technology and product strategy. From 1994 to 2018, Dr. Clackson was with ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, serving as President of R&D and Chief Scientific Officer from 2010. He played a key role in the company's evolution from early research to a global commercial oncology company, and its subsequent acquisition by Takeda for $5.2 billion. Dr. Clackson led the multi-disciplinary R&D team that internally discovered and developed five clinical-stage product candidates, including ICLUSIG® (ponatinib), approved for patients with treatment-resistant Ph+ leukemias; ALUNBRIG® (brigatinib), approved for ALK+ non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); and EXKIVITY™, approved for Exon20 insertion+ NSCLC. Dr. Clackson received his B.A. in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford, his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Cambridge, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Genentech. He serves as a Director on the Board of Elevation Oncology and previously served as a Director on the Boards of Forma Therapeutics (acquired by Novo Nordisk), Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals, and the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio). About Kesmalea Therapeutics Kesmalea is developing a pipeline of novel therapeutics founded on the ability to transform large protein degraders into small molecules. This is achieved through SELFTAC®, a platform designed to combine the power of protein degradation with small molecule advantages such as oral bioavailability and central nervous system (CNS) penetration, among others. Kesmalea's current research spans targets in oncology and diseases of the CNS, with broader applicability. The company is built on foundational scientific work by founder & CSO Harry Finch, Ph.D., a noted medicinal chemist and entrepreneur. Kesmalea has offices and labs in London, UK. Kesmalea's £25m Series A was led by Syncona Ltd alongside Oxford Science Enterprises. For more information, please visit: View source version on Contacts Media:Tom DonovanLyrebird Consulting+44 7498 152764 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Bloomberg
24-02-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
GSK Eyes Growth in Cancer Drugs Amid Investor Pipeline Concern
GSK Plc is looking to further grow its cancer drug business, a senior executive said, after the drugmaker's $1.15 billion deal for a US biotech. The company's strategy in oncology is about 'continuing to be focused, but also continuing to grow consistently,' Hesham A. Abdullah, senior vice president and global head of cancer drug research and development, said in an interview. GSK said Monday it had completed the acquisition of biotech IDRx, which gives the British drugmaker access to an experimental drug for gastrointestinal tumors.
Telegraph
11-02-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Growing optimism and a £2bn investor payout is a shot in the arm for this British giant
Questor is The Telegraph's stockpicking column, helping you decode the markets and offering insights on where to invest. Last week's full-year results from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) do not answer every concern the sceptics may have regarding current cash flow, the near-term trajectory of the vaccines business, or the long-term potential of the drug development pipeline but they offer no further nasty surprises. Better still, the outlook for 2025 is a little better than expected – the dividend is growing, and management feels sufficiently confident to sanction the first major share buyback since 2013. That £2bn programme equates to more than 3pc of the current stock market value and adds to the firm's valuation appeal, since GSK already offers a dividend yield in excess of 4pc and comes on a For 2024, an increase in sales of 7pc, core operating profit of 11pc and core earnings per share of 10pc all met management's guidance and analysts' forecasts. Even if they came in at the bottom of the range that still helped to soothe investors' nerves, which had jangled amid signs of a slowdown in demand for vaccines in China – confirmed overnight by America's Merck – and a change in regulatory guidelines for Covid jabs for the over-60s in the USA. The vaccines business – where GSK is among the global leaders – did show a second consecutive sharp drop in sales in the fourth quarter, thanks to a 19pc decline in sales of flu jabs and a 52pc plunge in respiratory treatment Arexvy. However, the Specialty Medicines business helped to take up the slack, thanks to a surge in the sale of cancer drugs Jemperli and Zejula. To offer further encouragement, Dame Emma Walmsley, the company's chief, offered a more optimistic outlook than expected for 2025. The company steered expectations toward an increase of 3 to 5pc in sales, 6 to 8pc in core operating profit and 6 to 8pc in core earnings per share, compared to analysts' estimates of 2pc, 6pc and 5pc, respectively. This confidence is reflected in an increase in the full-year dividend for 2024 to 61p a share, and a target of 64p for 2025. Such largesse shows management's faith in GSK's financial position and its future pipeline of new drugs, which the company continues to develop through its own research and acquisitions, such as Tesoro, Affinavax, Bellus Health – and now this year's $1bn swoop for IDRx. The company seems to be through the worst so far as the American lawsuits regarding Zantac (ranitidine) are concerned,although shareholders must still wait on the decision due from the Delaware courts this summer on the remaining 7pc of cases. The potential implications of the appointment of Specialty Medicines must therefore continue to perform and, if GSK is to meet its goal of increasing sales by a third to £40bn by 2031, the company's drug development pipeline must deliver across its four target therapeutic areas of infectious diseases, HIV, oncology and respiratory/immunology. The lowly valuation at least implies that expectations on this front are still fairly low, and this is where the upside potential lies. Questor says: buy Ticker: GSK Share price at close: £14.65 Update: Dowlais An out-of-the-blue bid for Dowlais from American Axle & Manufacturing suggests we are on the right track with the automotive components and metallurgy specialist, and investors can now assess how the unsolicited approach plays out. Upon launch at the end of January the cash-and-stock offer equated to 85.2p a share, including a dividend of up to 2.8p. That would The share price is trading well below the offer price, suggesting American Axle may need to come back with more, or at least increase the cash portion, if it is to prevail, especially as Dowlais' financial and operational performance is at a low ebb at the moment. The share price had already begun to tick higher before the predator pounced and it may not take much for that trend to continue, given how low both expectations and the low valuation look right now. Questor says: hold Ticker: DWL Share price: 69.85p Read the latest Questor column on every weekday at 5am. Read Questor's before you follow our tips.
