JPM23: Development and Strategic Updates from JP Morgan Healthcare Conference 2023 Day Two

With all eyes on the biotech industry during JP Morgan’s 41st annual Healthcare Conference, many companies are providing strategic, financial, and development updates to assure current investors and invite new ones. Day two of the conference saw updates from companies like Bayer, Sage, Jasper, and more. 

Bayer Raises Peak Sales Potential to Nearly $13 Billion

With a strong market uptake from some of its key growth drivers like Nubeqa and Kerendia, Bayer announced it raised its peak sales potential to over €12 billion. Nubeqa, a prostate cancer therapy approved in 2019, already controls 30% of the market for non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in the U.S. Due to the drug’s growth, Bayer increased its potential peak sales to more than €3 billion.

Kerendia, a non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist designed to treat patients with cardio-renal disease, has also grown tremendously since its approval in 2021. The company raised the projected sales peak for the drug to over €3 billion as well. 

Fujifilm Launches New Medium for AAV Production

To capitalize on biotech’s booming adeno-associated viral vector (AAV) sector, Fujifilm launched BalanCD HEK293, a nutrient-based feed medium designed to boost AAV production. The company says HEK293 has potential in applications like gene therapy and viral vector-based vaccines. With so much potential in gene therapies and viral vector-based vaccines, Fujifilm that viral vector manufacturing must evolve quickly to keep up with the demand for the promising therapies. 

Related Article: JPM23: Partnerships Take off From JP Morgan Healthcare Conference 2023 Day One

Sage Therapeutics’ Key 2023 Updates

Following a successful few years, Sage announced that its CEO, Barry Greene, would provide key updates for the company going into 2023. According to the press release, some updates will include progress on promising clinical programs like zuranolone, a treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD), and postpartum depression (PPD). 

Sage expects the FDA to accept zuranolone’s rolling New Drug Application (NDA) for MDD and PPD in the early part of the year, subject to priority review and other timeline expectations. The company also highlighted exciting developments in other clinical prospects like SAGE-718, a Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s disease treatment candidate.

Jasper Prioritizes Briquilimab for Chronic and Rare Diseases

Going into the new year, Jasper Therapeutics announced that it is prioritizing its clinical pipeline, putting its targeted monoclonal antibody, briquilimab, at the head of the pack to treat chronic diseases like chronic and spontaneous urticaria. The company also says the drug can potentially treat rare diseases via stem cell transplants. 

Jasper says it has consistently validated briquilimab across five indications, including severe combined immunodeficiency, acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, Fanconi anemia, and sickle cell disease. With so much potential, Jasper plans to continue developing the drug in various stages of clinical trials across multiple indications. 

4D Molecular Therapeutics’ Clinical Development Updates

Clinical-stage 4D Molecular Therapeutics (4DMT) announced updates on its clinical pipeline and preclinical programs, providing a clearer picture of the company’s goals in 2023. The company filed an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for a Phase 2 clinical trial for its Diabetic Macular Edema therapy, 4D-150. It also initiated a Phase 2 study for the same drug to evaluate its safety and efficacy in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration. 4DMT says the company’s financials are in good standing, with enough cash to float the company’s development programs until the first half of 2025. 

Day two of JP Morgan’s 2023 Healthcare Conference is packed with information from some of the biggest players in biotech. With strategic, corporate, clinical, and development updates from the likes of Bayer, Fujifilm, and Jasper, 2023 is shaping up to be an exciting year for biotech. Stay tuned for more updates on the conference and the biggest news in pharma and biotech going into the new year. 

Author

Reed Slater