Health News Roundup: UK's Syncona writes off 54.5 million stg after Novartis ends Gyroscope's therapy; Moderna, Immatics to work jointly on cancer vaccines and more

Moderna said the companies intend to combine Immatics' T-cell redirecting cancer therapies with its mRNA technology. AstraZeneca's Tagrisso-chemo combo results raise bar for J&J cancer drug-analysts Data released on Monday by AstraZeneca from a late-stage trial combining its blockbuster cancer drug Tagrisso with chemotherapy to treat a type of lung cancer raises the bar for Johnson & Johnson's rival treatment, analysts said.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

UK's Syncona writes off 54.5 million stg after Novartis ends Gyroscope's therapy

British healthcare investment firm Syncona said on Monday Novartis has stopped the development of experimental eye treatment, GT005, which would result in payments write-off of 54.5 million pounds ($68.23 million) for Gyroscope Holdings Limited. ($1 = 0.7987 pounds)

Moderna, Immatics to work jointly on cancer vaccines

Vaccine maker Moderna said on Monday it had struck a deal with Immatics for developing cancer vaccines and therapies and would pay the drug developer $120 million in cash and additional milestone payments. Moderna said the companies intend to combine Immatics' T-cell redirecting cancer therapies with its mRNA technology.

AstraZeneca's Tagrisso-chemo combo results raise bar for J&J cancer drug-analysts

Data released on Monday by AstraZeneca from a late-stage trial combining its blockbuster cancer drug Tagrisso with chemotherapy to treat a type of lung cancer raises the bar for Johnson & Johnson's rival treatment, analysts said. A brief summary from the Phase 3 trial, called FLAURA2, was released in May, and the detailed data was presented on Monday in Singapore at the World Conference on Lung Cancer.

Crinetics soars on 'picture perfect' data for hormonal disorder drug

Shares of drug developer Crinetics Pharmaceuticals jumped about 78% on Monday after its experimental treatment for a rare hormonal disorder not only succeeded, but performed better than Wall Street expectations in a late-stage trial. The trial studied the oral drug in "biochemically controlled" patients who were on injections such as octreotide or lanreotide for the disorder known as acromegaly, in which the body produces an excess of growth hormone.

Novartis' Sandoz targets biosimilar version of J&J drug in Samsung deal

Novartis' generic-drugs unit Sandoz said on Monday it plans to launch a generic version of Johnson & Johnson's anti-inflammatory drug Stelara under a collaboration deal with Samsung Bioepis. For Sandoz, which is due to become an independent company early next month, the transaction means more investment in the growing market of biosimilars, which are lower-cost copies of complex biotech drugs that have lost patent protection.

Analysis-Wegovy launch in UK may underline Novo Nordisk's need to get ahead of Lilly

Novo Nordisk's decision to launch its weight-loss drug Wegovy in Britain last week despite severe supply constraints may partly have been motivated by a desire to get ahead of rival Eli Lilly's own similar drug, industry sources said. They said Novo may also have been responding to concerns voiced by the British government and patient advocacy groups over the off-label use for weight loss of its diabetes drug Ozempic, which contains the same active ingredient as Wegovy.

AstraZeneca shares fall 3.6% to 7-1/2 week low

Shares in London-listed drugmaker AstraZeneca declined as much as 3.6% on Monday, falling to their lowest since July 19. Traders attributed the move to a report in the Mail on Sunday newspaper saying the drugmaker'sChief Executive Pascal Soriot had said privately to friends and advisers that he may leave the company as soon as next year.