Morning! Today, we’ll keep riding the bispecific wave, and tell you what Verily and FDA alum Amy Abernethy is up to next. Oh, and a programming note: The annual ESMO meeting opens this weekend, and we’ve got a pop-up newsletter. Sign up if you’re interested.
The need-to-know this morning
- Roivant Sciences acquired from Bayer, the German pharma company, an experimental drug called mosliciguat that will be developed as a treatment for certain types of pulmonary hypertension, a family of serious lung diseases in which high blood pressure affects the arteries in the lungs and causes damage to the heart.
- Viridian Therapeutics said an experimental treatment improved the signs and symptoms of thyroid eye disease — results that achieved the primary goals of a Phase 3 clinical trial and compared favorably to a similar drug already approved and sold by Amgen.
Former Verily execs launch new health data initiative
Verily alums Amy Abernethy and Brad Hirsch are launching a new outfit called Highlander Health to optimize clinical research by deeply probing existing health care data, STAT’s Matt Herper reports this morning. The pair envisions Highlander allowing clients to harness the data generated from real-world medical practice — particularly after medicines are approved — to inform the research and development process.
Highlander will include a grant-making arm as well as an investment arm. The latter will have funds to invest $50 million to $100 million at a time in like-minded tech companies.
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