Genentech’s Phase III evERA Data Showed Giredestrant Significantly Improved Progression-Free Survival in People With ER-Positive Advanced Breast Cancer




Genentech’s Phase III evERA Data Showed Giredestrant Significantly Improved Progression-Free Survival in People With ER-Positive Advanced Breast Cancer

– Giredestrant plus everolimus reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 44% and 62% in ITT and ESR1-mutated populations, respectively, in a post-CDK inhibitor setting, compared with standard-of-care endocrine therapy plus everolimus –

– The giredestrant combination was well tolerated; no new safety signals were observed including no photopsia –

– Overall survival data were immature, but a clear positive trend was seen in both the ITT and ESR1-mutated populations –

– If approved, giredestrant plus everolimus could be the first and only oral selective estrogen receptor degrader combination in the post-CDK inhibitor setting –

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Genentech, a member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), announced today positive results from the Phase III evERA Breast Cancer study. Data showed giredestrant in combination with everolimus significantly reduced the risk of disease progression or death (progression-free survival; PFS) by 44% and 62% in the intention-to-treat (ITT) and ESR1-mutated populations, respectively, compared with standard-of-care endocrine therapy plus everolimus. The evERA study is evaluating the investigational giredestrant combination in people with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer previously treated with cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor and endocrine therapy. This is the first positive head-to-head Phase III trial investigating a selective estrogen receptor degrader-containing regimen versus a standard-of-care combination. The results are being presented in an oral session at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2025. Data will be shared with health authorities, with the aim of bringing this potential treatment option to people as soon as possible.

“A particularly high unmet need remains for people who become resistant to endocrine therapies and CDK inhibitors. These study results support the potential for the giredestrant combination to become a new standard-of-care for all patients in this setting,” said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., Genentech’s chief medical officer and head of Global Product Development.

“Resistance to standard-of-care therapies is common in the post-CDK inhibitor setting, and the results from evERA validate using a combination to address this challenge,” said Erica L. Mayer, M.D., Medical Oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “The clinically meaningful benefit observed with the giredestrant and everolimus all-oral combination is impressive and speaks to its potential to improve outcomes for patients in need of new treatment options.”

The giredestrant combination demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in PFS compared with standard-of-care endocrine therapy plus everolimus. In the ITT population, the median PFS was 8.77 months compared with 5.49 months in the giredestrant and comparator arm, respectively (stratified hazard ratio [HR]=0.56; 95% CI: 0.44-0.71, p-value= <0.0001). In the ESR1-mutated population, the median PFS was 9.99 months compared with 5.45 months in the giredestrant and comparator arm, respectively (HR=0.38; 95% CI: 0.27-0.54, p-value= <0.0001). The PFS benefit was consistent across pre-specified subgroups in both populations. Overall survival (OS) data were immature at the time of analysis, but a clear positive trend has been observed in the ITT (HR=0.69, 95% CI: 0.47-1.00, p-value=0.0473) and ESR1-mutated populations (HR=0.62, 95% CI: 0.38-1.02, p-value=0.0566). Follow-up for OS will continue to next analysis. Giredestrant in combination with everolimus also demonstrated improvements in key secondary endpoints (objective response rate and duration of response) compared with the comparator arm across both patient populations.

Adverse events for the giredestrant-based combination were manageable and consistent with the known safety profiles of the individual medicines. No new safety signals were observed, including no photopsia.

ER-positive breast cancer accounts for approximately 70% of breast cancer cases. Resistance to endocrine therapies, particularly in the post-CDK inhibitor setting, increases the risk of disease progression and is associated with poor outcomes. All-oral combination therapies, such as giredestrant plus everolimus, could address this by targeting two different signaling pathways while helping to minimize the impact of treatment on people’s lives without the need for injections.

Our extensive giredestrant clinical development program spans multiple treatment settings and lines of therapy, reflecting our commitment to deliver innovative medicines to as many people with ER-positive breast cancer as possible.

About the evERA Breast Cancer study

evERA Breast Cancer [NCT05306340] is a Phase III, randomized, open-label, multicenter study evaluating the efficacy and safety of giredestrant in combination with everolimus versus standard-of-care endocrine therapy in combination with everolimus in people with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who have had previous treatment with a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor and endocrine therapy, either in the adjuvant or locally advanced/metastatic setting.

The co-primary endpoints are investigator-assessed progression-free survival in the intention-to-treat and ESR1-mutated populations, defined as the time from randomization to the time when the disease progresses or a patient dies from any cause. The trial has been enriched for ESR1-mutated patients above the natural prevalence to assess the efficacy in this population. In the post-CDK inhibitor setting, up to 40% of people with ER-positive disease have ESR1 mutations. Key secondary endpoints include overall survival, objective response rate, duration of response, clinical benefit rate and safety.

About estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer

Globally, the burden of breast cancer continues to grow, with 2.3 million women diagnosed and 670,000 dying from the disease every year. Breast cancer remains the number one cause of cancer-related deaths amongst women, and the second most common cancer type.

ER-positive breast cancer accounts for approximately 70% of breast cancer cases. A defining feature of ER-positive breast cancer is that its tumor cells have receptors that attach to estrogen, which can contribute to tumor growth.

Despite treatment advances, ER-positive breast cancer remains particularly challenging to treat due to its biological complexity. Patients often face the risk of disease progression, treatment side effects and resistance to endocrine therapy. There is an urgent need for more effective treatments that can delay clinical progression and reduce the burden of treatment on people’s lives.

About giredestrant

Giredestrant is an investigational oral, next-generation selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) and full antagonist.

Giredestrant is designed to block estrogen from binding to the estrogen receptor (ER), triggering its breakdown (known as degradation) and stopping or slowing down the growth of cancer cells.

Giredestrant has an extensive clinical development program and is being investigated in five company-sponsored Phase III clinical trials that span multiple treatment settings and lines of therapy to benefit as many people as possible:

• Giredestrant versus standard-of-care endocrine therapy (SoC ET) as adjuvant treatment in ER-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative early-stage breast cancer (lidERA Breast Cancer; NCT04961996)
• Giredestrant plus everolimus versus SoC ET plus everolimus in ER-positive, HER2-negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer (evERA Breast Cancer; NCT05306340)
• Giredestrant plus palbociclib versus letrozole plus palbociclib in ER-positive, HER2-negative, endocrine-sensitive, recurrent locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer (persevERA Breast Cancer; NCT04546009)
• Giredestrant plus investigator’s choice of a cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK 4/6) inhibitor versus fulvestrant plus a CDK4/6 inhibitor in ER-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer resistant to adjuvant endocrine therapy (pionERA Breast Cancer; NCT06065748)
• Giredestrant plus dual HER2 blockade versus dual HER2 blockade in ER-positive, HER2-positive locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer (heredERA Breast Cancer; NCT05296798)

About Genentech in Breast Cancer

Genentech has been advancing breast cancer research for more than 30 years with the goal of helping as many people with the disease as possible. Our medicines, along with companion diagnostic tests, have contributed to bringing breakthrough outcomes in multiple types of breast cancers. As our understanding of breast cancer biology rapidly improves, we are working to identify new biomarkers and approaches to treatment for other subtypes of the disease, including estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, which is a form of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, the most prevalent type of all breast cancers.

About Genentech

Founded nearly 50 years ago, Genentech is a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat patients with serious and life-threatening medical conditions. The company, a member of the Roche Group, has headquarters in South San Francisco, California. For additional information about the company, please visit http://www.gene.com.

Contacts

Media Contact: Jared Preston, (650) 467-6800

Advocacy Contact: Julie Burns, (860) 881-6594

Investor Contacts: Loren Kalm, (650) 225-3217

Bruno Eschli, +41 616875284

Genentech Presents New Phase III Pivotal Data for Vamikibart in Uveitic Macular Edema (UME), a Serious Cause of Vision Loss




Genentech Presents New Phase III Pivotal Data for Vamikibart in Uveitic Macular Edema (UME), a Serious Cause of Vision Loss

– Vamikibart is the first non-steroid targeted therapy designed to address inflammation driving UME and may offer a potential new treatment option for patients –

– Vision improvements were seen in both pivotal studies, achieving statistical significance in MEERKAT and nominal significance in SANDCAT –

– The MEERKAT and SANDCAT trials are ongoing and the data will be discussed with health authorities globally –

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Genentech, a member of the Roche Group (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY), announced today results from two Phase III studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of two doses of investigational vamikibart (0.25 and 1 mg) compared with a sham procedure that mimics intravitreal (IVT) injections in people with uveitic macular edema (UME). UME is characterized by the buildup of fluid in the macula due to uveitis, an inflammatory condition of the eye, that can result in vision loss. Across both studies, the primary and secondary endpoint data support the potential for rapid improvements in vision and reductions in macular thickness (swelling in the back of the eye due to retinal fluid) with vamikibart treatment. The data were presented at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting (AAO 2025) in Orlando, FL.

“The totality of data from these pivotal vamikibart studies represent an important step towards addressing a clear unmet need for people with uveitic macular edema,” said Levi Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., Genentech’s chief medical officer and head of Global Product Development. “UME is a major cause of vision loss and blindness in people of working age. We look forward to discussing the data for this potential first-in-class treatment with regulatory authorities.”

“UME is most commonly treated with steroids that, when injected in the eye, are associated with significant side effects such as increased pressure in the eye, which can lead to glaucoma and cataract formation,” said study investigator Eric Suhler, M.D., MPH, Professor of Ophthalmology at the Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR. “These data seen across multiple endpoints in both Phase III studies, along with the overall low rate of treatment-related ocular adverse events, suggest that vamikibart could provide a clinically relevant, locally injectable non-steroid treatment option for people with UME.”

In both trials, a numerically higher proportion of patients treated with vamikibart gained vision, with primary endpoint data demonstrating statistically significant superiority over sham in MEERKAT, though not in SANDCAT. Consistently across both trials, key secondary endpoints showed rapid and clinically meaningful improvements in average change from baseline in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and average change from baseline in central subfield thickness (CST), a key measure of macular edema, supporting the overall efficacy profile of vamikibart.

The underlying variability of BCVA as an endpoint, along with variations in patient baseline characteristics and concomitant medications, may have influenced the differences in trial primary outcomes and further analyses are currently underway.

Vamikibart was generally well tolerated in both studies, with a low incidence of treatment-related ocular adverse events (AEs) and intraocular inflammation (IOI) events, and no events of retinal occlusive vasculitis. The most common AEs (≥5%) in either trial in patients receiving vamikibart were conjunctival hemorrhage and raised intraocular pressure.

Key data from the pivotal vamikibart Phase III MEERKAT and SANDCAT studies:

About the MEERKAT and SANDCAT studies

MEERKAT (NCT05642312) and SANDCAT (NCT05642325) are identical Phase III, global, parallel, multicenter, randomized, double-masked, sham comparator-controlled trials of intravitreal (IVT) vamikibart in uveitic macular edema (UME). In both trials, patients were randomized and received treatment every four weeks with either 0.25 mg vamikibart, 1 mg vamikibart or sham IVT injection, for up to 16 weeks. The primary endpoint of both Phase III trials was the proportion of participants with a 15 letter or more improvement from baseline in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at week 16. Key secondary endpoints included the average change from baseline in BCVA and CST at week 16. The safety of vamikibart was assessed through adverse events (AEs) such as treatment related ocular AEs, intraocular inflammation (IOI) and retinal occlusive vasculitis. The studies included participants with and without prior IVT treatment history and included patients with history of raised IOP and glaucoma.

About Uveitic Macular Edema (UME)

UME is characterized by the buildup of fluid in the macula due to uveitis, an inflammatory eye condition. Although rare compared to other eye diseases, UME has a disproportionate impact on vision loss and blindness globally. It is the leading cause of moderate and severe vision loss in people with uveitis, and the most frequent sight threatening complication in uveitis. Uveitis accounts for 10% to 20% of blindness in the United States and Europe, and up to 25% of blindness in the developing world. UME has a significant negative impact on people’s quality of life, including physical and mental health, social functioning, and visual function for day-to-day activities such as driving and reading. Steroids, the current standard of care for UME, are associated with significant serious side effects such as increased pressure in the eye, glaucoma and cataracts, and have recognized efficacy limitations.

About Vamikibart

Vamikibart is an investigational monoclonal antibody that has been specifically engineered for IVT administration. It targets interleukin-6 (IL-6), a key cytokine in the inflammatory pathway in UME. In the Phase I DOVETAIL study, vamikibart provided rapid vision improvements and resolution of macular edema in people with UME. Vamikibart was also well tolerated, with no treatment-related serious adverse events reported. Based on the promising Phase I DOVETAIL data, Genentech initiated the two identical Phase III vamikibart studies MEERKAT and SANDCAT. Vamikibart is being investigated in retinal diseases with recognized inflammatory pathways, including in people with UME. Vamikibart has orphan drug designation in the United States and European Union.

About Genentech in Ophthalmology

Genentech is researching and developing new treatments for people living with a range of eye diseases that cause significant visual impairment and blindness, including wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), diabetic retinopathy (DR), geographic atrophy (GA) and other retinal diseases, including rare and inherited conditions.

About Genentech

Founded nearly 50 years ago, Genentech is a leading biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines to treat patients with serious and life-threatening medical conditions. The company, a member of the Roche Group, has headquarters in South San Francisco, California. For additional information about the company, please visit http://www.gene.com.

Contacts

Media Contact: Nicole Burkart (650) 467-6800

Advocacy Contact: Meg Harrison (617) 694-7060

Investor Contacts: Loren Kalm (650) 225-3217

Bruno Eschli +41 61 687 5284

TEZSPIRE approved in the US for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps




TEZSPIRE approved in the US for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps

Approval broadens indication for TEZSPIRE to a second disease characterized by epithelial-driven inflammation

WILMINGTON, Del.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–AstraZeneca and Amgen’s TEZSPIRE® (tezepelumab -ekko) has been approved in the US for the add-on maintenance treatment of adult and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with inadequately controlled chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), a complex epithelial-driven inflammatory condition. TEZSPIRE is the first and only biologic that targets thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) to be approved for CRSwNP.

The approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was based on efficacy and safety data from the WAYPOINT Phase III trial, which were presented at the 2025 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI)/World Allergy Organization (WAO) Joint Congress and simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine.^1,2 In the trial, TEZSPIRE demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful reduction in nasal polyp severity, and showed near-elimination of the need for surgery and significant reduction in systemic corticosteroid use vs. placebo.^1,2

Dr. Joseph Han, Vice Chair of Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Old Dominion University, US, and co-primary investigator in the WAYPOINT trial, said: “Over 320 million lives globally are disrupted by chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps. The FDA approval of TEZSPIRE brings forward a new treatment option that has demonstrated rapid and sustained symptom improvement, nearly eliminating the need for future surgeries and significantly reducing systemic steroid use. By targeting TSLP at the top of the inflammatory cascade, TEZSPIRE offers a novel option for patients who continue to endure the disruption of this disease despite available treatments.”

Kenneth Mendez, President and CEO of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), said: “Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps is a persistent and often-overlooked disease that can significantly impact daily life, robbing patients of their ability to breathe without congestion and full sense of smell. This approval introduces an innovative treatment option for patients with the potential to help address the ongoing cycle of debilitating symptoms, surgeries and systemic steroid use.”

Ruud Dobber, Executive Vice President, BioPharmaceuticals Business Unit, AstraZeneca said: “Today’s approval of TEZSPIRE in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps expands the reach of this innovative treatment option to patients living with an epithelial-driven inflammatory disease beyond severe asthma. Building on the widespread, established use of TEZSPIRE in severe asthma, this exciting milestone now reinforces its unique mechanism of action across both the upper and lower airways and reflects our commitment to transforming care for patients who face the daily burden of chronic respiratory and immune-mediated diseases.”

CRSwNP affects up to approximately 320 million people worldwide and is a complex epithelial-driven inflammatory condition characterized by persistent inflammation and benign polyp growths within the nasal cavity. People living with CRSwNP commonly experience airflow obstruction and symptoms including congestion and an impaired sense of smell.^3-7 For many patients, current therapies such as systemic and intranasal corticosteroids and repeated sinus surgeries do not offer lasting relief.⁴

The safety profile and tolerability of TEZSPIRE in the WAYPOINT trial was generally consistent with the known profile of the medicine.¹ The most frequently reported adverse events in the trial were COVID-19, nasopharyngitis and upper respiratory tract infection.¹

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recently adopted a positive opinion for the approval of TEZSPIRE in the EU for treatment of CRSwNP.⁸ Regulatory applications are currently under review in the EU, China, Japan and several other countries.

TEZSPIRE is currently approved for the treatment of severe asthma in the US, EU, Japan and more than 60 countries across the globe.^9-11

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Known hypersensitivity to tezepelumab-ekko or excipients.

WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

Hypersensitivity Reactions

Hypersensitivity reactions were observed in the clinical trials (eg, rash and allergic conjunctivitis) following the administration of TEZSPIRE. Postmarketing cases of anaphylaxis have been reported. These reactions can occur within hours of administration, but in some instances have a delayed onset (ie, days). In the event of a hypersensitivity reaction, consider the benefits and risks for the individual patient to determine whether to continue or discontinue treatment with TEZSPIRE.

Acute Asthma Symptoms or Deteriorating Disease

TEZSPIRE should not be used to treat acute asthma symptoms, acute exacerbations, acute bronchospasm, or status asthmaticus.

Abrupt Reduction of Corticosteroid Dosage

Do not discontinue systemic or inhaled corticosteroids abruptly upon initiation of therapy with TEZSPIRE. Reductions in corticosteroid dose, if appropriate, should be gradual and performed under the direct supervision of a physician. Reduction in corticosteroid dose may be associated with systemic withdrawal symptoms and/or unmask conditions previously suppressed by systemic corticosteroid therapy.

Parasitic (Helminth) Infection

It is unknown if TEZSPIRE will influence a patient’s response against helminth infections. Treat patients with pre-existing helminth infections before initiating therapy with TEZSPIRE. If patients become infected while receiving TEZSPIRE and do not respond to anti-helminth treatment, discontinue TEZSPIRE until infection resolves.

Live Attenuated Vaccines

The concomitant use of TEZSPIRE and live attenuated vaccines has not been evaluated. The use of live attenuated vaccines should be avoided in patients receiving TEZSPIRE.

ADVERSE REACTIONS

The most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥ 3%) are:

• Asthma: pharyngitis, arthralgia, and back pain.
• Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps: nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory tract infection, epistaxis, pharyngitis, back pain, influenza, injection site reaction and arthralgia

USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS

There are no available data on TEZSPIRE use in pregnant women to evaluate for any drug-associated risk of major birth defects, miscarriage, or other adverse maternal or fetal outcomes. Placental transfer of monoclonal antibodies such as tezepelumab-ekko is greater during the third trimester of pregnancy; therefore, potential effects on a fetus are likely to be greater during the third trimester of pregnancy.

INDICATION

TEZSPIRE is indicated for:

• the add-on maintenance treatment of adult and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with severe asthma. TEZSPIRE is not indicated for the relief of acute bronchospasm or status asthmaticus
• the add-on maintenance treatment of adult and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with inadequately controlled chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP)

Please see accompanying full Prescribing Information, including Patient Information and Instructions for Use.

You may report side effects related to AstraZeneca products.

Notes

Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps (CRSwNP (nasal polyps))

CRSwNP is a complex inflammatory disorder, characterized by persistent inflammation of the nasal mucosa accompanied by benign growths, called nasal polyps.^3,4 Nasal polyps can block nasal passages and lead to breathing problems, difficulty in sense of smell, nasal discharge, facial pain, sleep disturbance and other adverse effects on quality of life. ^5-7

Epithelial dysfunction and inflammation are important characteristics of chronic rhinosinusitis and impede the ability of the epithelium to act as a physical and immunological barrier against the external environment.^12,13 Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is an epithelial cytokine that has been implicated in shared pathophysiological processes underlying severe asthma and CRSwNP.^12,13

Current treatments for CRSwNP include intranasal and/or systemic corticosteroids, surgery and biologics.^4,7,14-19

Phase III WAYPOINT trial

WAYPOINT was a double-blind, multi-center, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel group trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tezepelumab in adults with uncontrolled CRSwNP.^1,2,20 Participants received tezepelumab or placebo, administered via subcutaneous injection. The trial also included a post-treatment follow-up period of 12-24 weeks for participants who completed the 52-week treatment period.^1,20

The co-primary endpoints of the trial, were change from baseline in total nasal polyp size, measured by the endoscopic total Nasal Polyp Score, and change from baseline in bi-weekly mean nasal congestion, measured by the participant reported Nasal Congestion Score evaluated as part of the daily Nasal Polyposis Symptom Diary.^1,20 Key secondary endpoints included loss of smell; improvement in disease specific health-related quality of life as measured by Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) score; Lund-Mackay score; time to surgery decision and/or systemic corticosteroids for nasal polyposis; time to nasal polyposis surgery decision; time to systemic corticosteroids for nasal polyposis; Nasal Polyposis Symptom Diary total symptom score and, in the population with co-morbid asthma, pre-bronchodilator FEV1 at Week 52.^1,20

TEZSPIRE

TEZSPIRE (tezepelumab) is being developed by AstraZeneca in collaboration with Amgen as a first-in-class human monoclonal antibody that inhibits the action of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), a key epithelial cytokine that sits at the top of multiple inflammatory cascades and is critical in the initiation and persistence of allergic, eosinophilic and other types of epithelial inflammation associated with severe asthma, CRSwNP and other inflammatory diseases.^12,13

TSLP is released by the epithelium in response to environmental triggers (including allergens, viruses and other airborne particles) associated with asthma, CRSwNP, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and other diseases.^13,21 Across these disease states, the expression of TSLP is increased and correlates with disease severity.^7,11

TEZSPIRE is approved as a single-use pre-filled syringe and auto-injector for self-administration in the US and EU.^9-11 Since 2021, over 100,000 patients have been treated with TEZSPIRE for severe asthma.²²

Beyond CRSwNP, TEZSPIRE is also being explored in Phase III trials in COPD and EoE.^23,24 In October 2021, TEZSPIRE was granted Orphan Drug Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of EoE.²⁵

Amgen Collaboration

The 2012 Collaboration Agreement between Amgen and AstraZeneca has been amended and updated over time. For TEZSPIRE, both companies continue to share costs and profits equally after payment by AstraZeneca of a mid single-digit inventor royalty to Amgen. AstraZeneca continues to lead development and Amgen continues to lead manufacturing. All aspects of the collaboration are under the oversight of joint governing bodies. Under the agreement, Amgen and AstraZeneca jointly commercialize TEZSPIRE in the US. Amgen records product sales in the US, with AZ recording its share of US profits as Collaboration Revenue. Outside of the US, AstraZeneca records product sales, with Amgen recording profit share as Other/Collaboration revenue.

AstraZeneca in Respiratory & Immunology

Respiratory & Immunology, part of AstraZeneca BioPharmaceuticals is a key disease area and growth driver to the Company.

AstraZeneca is an established leader in respiratory care with a 50-year heritage and a growing portfolio of medicines in immune-mediated diseases. The Company is committed to addressing the vast unmet needs of these chronic, often debilitating, diseases with a pipeline and portfolio of inhaled medicines, biologics and new modalities aimed at previously unreachable biologic targets. Our ambition is to deliver life-changing medicines that help eliminate COPD as a leading cause of death, eliminate asthma attacks and achieve clinical remission in immune-mediated diseases.

AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Diseases and BioPharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca’s innovative medicines are sold in more than 125 countries and used by millions of patients worldwide. Please visit www.astrazeneca-us.com and follow the Company on social media @AstraZeneca.

References

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2. Lipworth BJ, Han JK, et al. Efficacy and safety of tezepelumab in adults with severe chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps: results from the Phase 3 WAYPOINT Study. [Late breaking oral presentation]. Presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology/World Allergy Organization Joint Congress 2025 (28 February – 03 March).
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11. AstraZeneca news release. TEZSPIRE approved in Japan for the treatment of severe asthma. Available at: https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2022/TEZSPIRE-approved-in-japan-for-severe-asthma.html. Accessed October 2025.
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20. Clinicaltrials.gov. Efficacy and Safety of Tezepelumab in Participants With Severe Chronic Rhinosinusitis With Nasal Polyposis (WAYPOINT). Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04851964. Accessed October 2025.
21. Zhang M, et al. Hypoxia induces the production of epithelial-derived cytokines in eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps. Int Immunopharmacol. 2023;121:110559.
22. AstraZeneca Data on file. 2025. REF-278452.
23. Clinicaltrials.gov. Tezepelumab COPD Exacerbation Study (COURSE) [Online]. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04039113. Accessed October 2025.
24. Clinicaltrials.gov. Efficacy and Safety of Tezepelumab in Patients with Eosinophilic Esophagitis (CROSSING). Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05583227. Accessed October 2025.
25. AstraZeneca news release. Tezepelumab granted Orphan Drug Designation in the US for eosinophilic esophagitis. Available at: https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2021/tezepelumab-granted-orphan-drug-designation-in-the-us-for-eosinophilic-esophagitis.html. Accessed October 2025.

Contacts

Media Inquiries
Fiona Cookson +1 212 814 3923

Jillian Gonzales +1 302 885 2677

US Media Mailbox: usmediateam@astrazeneca.com

Welldoc Expands AI-Powered Cardiometabolic Platform to Include Chronic Kidney Disease and MASH Support




Welldoc Expands AI-Powered Cardiometabolic Platform to Include Chronic Kidney Disease and MASH Support

The AI-powered platform elevates cardiometabolic care by extending its best-in-class weight management support to CKD and MASH.

COLUMBIA, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Welldoc^®, a leading AI-powered health tech company pioneering cardiometabolic care, today announced the expansion of its platform to include comprehensive support for the management of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). This expansion reinforces Welldoc’s commitment to delivering holistic, evidence-based AI-driven solutions that address the complex, interconnected nature of cardiometabolic conditions.

Building upon its clinical foundation in cardiometabolic health, which includes weight management with and without GLP-1 medications, Welldoc now provides individuals with integrated AI-driven coaching, education and health tracking specific to CKD and MASH. This support is especially vital given the expected expansion of GLP-1 therapies for broader cardiorenal and liver protection [1,2]. By directly addressing the cardiometabolic risk factors driving these conditions, Welldoc enables early detection, engagement and proactive provider interventions.

“As an endocrinologist, I see firsthand how interconnected and frequently undiagnosed these conditions are,” said Dr. Mansur Shomali, Welldoc Chief Medical Officer and practicing endocrinologist. “Our clinical foundation and advanced AI enable us to personalize the experience so individuals and their providers can manage all of their comorbid cardiometabolic conditions in one comprehensive platform and directly address the root causes driving CKD and MASH progression.”

This strategic expansion addresses urgent challenges posed by two often silent diseases that carry significant clinical and economic burdens:

• CKD’s Hidden Crisis: Approximately 9 out of 10 people with CKD are unaware they have the condition, meaning millions miss the critical early window for intervention [3]. This lack of awareness contributes to a substantial healthcare cost, with annual Medicare spending alone exceeding $115 billion [4].
• MASH’s Growing Epidemic: Fatty liver disease affects up to two-thirds of individuals with type 2 diabetes and up to 90% of individuals with severe obesity [5]. The condition is predicted to become the leading cause of liver transplant in the United States [6]. AI-powered health tech solutions offer the opportunity to support personalized lifestyle interventions, which are the cornerstone of early management.

The platform’s robust ability to support weight management is crucial for individuals diagnosed with MASH, where lifestyle and weight loss are cornerstone treatment strategies.

“Obesity is a major driving force behind MASH progression,” said Dr. Holly Lofton, Scientific Advisor at Welldoc and Director of the Medical Weight Management Program at NYU Langone Health. “The most impactful steps an individual diagnosed with fatty liver disease can take involve lifestyle changes to achieve weight loss. By integrating MASH support into their cardiometabolic and weight platform, Welldoc is providing a highly efficient way to reinforce the insights necessary to slow the progression of liver disease.”

References:

[1] Perkovic V, et al. Effects of Semaglutide on Chronic Kidney Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes (FLOW Trial). N Engl J Med. 2024. [Semaglutide reduced the risk of the primary composite kidney and CV death outcome by 24%].

[2] Sanyal AJ, et al. Semaglutide 2.4 mg in Patients with MASH and Fibrosis Stage F2 or F3: The ESSENCE Trial. N Engl J Med. 2025 (Interim Analysis). [Semaglutide achieved resolution of MASH without worsening of fibrosis in 62.9% of the treatment group].

[3] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chronic Kidney Disease in the United States, 2023. Atlanta, GA: US Dept of Health and Human Services; 2023.

[4] National Kidney Foundation. Chronic Kidney Disease Data Analysis Strategy. [Reflects annual Medicare spending for beneficiaries with CKD/Kidney Failure].

[5] National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Definition & Facts of NAFLD & NASH. [Cites studies on prevalence in T2D/Obesity].

[6] Tesfay M, Goldkamp WJ, Neuschwander-Tetri BA. NASH: the emerging most common form of chronic liver disease. Mo Med. 2018;115(3):225-229. [Citing projections that MASH would become the leading cause of liver transplant by 2030].

About Welldoc

Welldoc^®, an AI powered health technology leader revolutionizing cardiometabolic care, integrates personalized, real-time, and actionable insights into the daily lives of individuals living with cardiometabolic conditions, facilitating improved health and outcomes. Welldoc’s comprehensive digital health platform provides AI-powered digital coaching across prediabetes, diabetes, hypertension, heart failure, weight and obesity management, CKD, and MASH, with integrated mental wellbeing and sleep support. As a FDA-cleared digital health solution, Welldoc guides individuals through the complex journey of living with diabetes, enabling self-management while enhancing connections with their healthcare team. The company partners with health plans, health systems and employers to extend care, improve health and reduce costs.

Welldoc has achieved 11 510(k) clearances for diabetes functionality within its digital health platform and holds an IP portfolio of 50+ patents for its advanced AI and first-in-class technology. With more than 90 clinical publications, Welldoc has built an extensive library of clinical research, including many publications focused on the value of combining CGM with AI-powered digital health solutions. Recognized as an industry thought leader, Welldoc has been featured in prestigious conferences and publications, including South by Southwest, the Wall Street Journal and the Economist. The company has been named the “Best Overall Digital Health Company” by MedTech Breakthrough for the past three years, and was a winner of the 2024 Healthcare AI Impact Awards, Innovation Awards by Business Intelligence Group, and Top 100 Healthcare Technology Companies by the Healthcare Technology Report. For more information, visit www.welldoc.com. Follow us on LinkedIn and X.

Contacts

Sylvia Aranda

Media@welldocinc.com

LucyRx Launches an Outcomes Accord, Uniting Consultants, Brokers and Employers to Raise PBM Accountability




LucyRx Launches an Outcomes Accord, Uniting Consultants, Brokers and Employers to Raise PBM Accountability

Dr. Mehmet Oz shares his vision to restore trust and accountability in prescription care

BETHESDA, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#HR—LucyRx, a next-generation pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) known for simplifying and improving access to prescription care, announced an Outcomes Accord to unite plan sponsors, consultants, brokers and LucyRx to a shared standard for PBM accountability. Unveiled at LucyRx’s 2025 Partner Summit, the Outcomes Accord defines how performance is measured and verified across plans and populations and moves beyond rebate math and claim discounts. The founding cohort includes dozens of employers spanning manufacturing, technology, insurance, health care delivery and transportation, leading pharmacy consultants and brokerage firms.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, was the keynote speaker at LucyRx’s Summit and challenged the participants with the question, “How do we bring more transparency into the process, and what are the things that might move the needle for the American people to begin to trust the system again?”

“The Outcomes Accord confronts that reality with results,” said David Blair, CEO of LucyRx. “The clients and consultants who’ve joined as Founders are not just early adopters. They are architects of a model where outcomes are proven, not just promised.”

The six Outcomes Accord measurements are:

• PMPM cost and yearly trend: The actual, checked total pharmacy cost per member each month, net of discounts and rebates.
• Medication adherence: How well members stick to their medicine routines for important health conditions.
• Avoided care costs: Money saved by preventing unnecessary emergency room visits, hospital stays or health problems.
• Clinical savings: The direct health benefits and cost reductions from pharmacy actions.
• Member experience: How satisfied members are with their access to medicine and the support they receive.
• Biosimilar adoption: Safely switching to lower-cost, similar medicines to improve affordability and value.

The Outcomes Accord sets a new fiduciary standard by tying success directly to clinical outcomes, cost containment and member experience — shifting the focus from how savings are promised to how results are delivered. It is governed by three principles:

• Clarity, where every outcome is measurable, auditable and client verified.
• Commitment, where PBMs and plan sponsors align to shared metrics rather than marketing claims.
• Courage, where participants invite independent scrutiny and publish results on a regular cadence.

Those principles turn accountability into trust that can be verified. As the Summit’s keynote added: “Because if you lose trust, the changes that happen tend to be draconian. They often are legislative, and they’re not as nimble as if industry does it themselves,” said Dr. Oz.

“For too long, our industry has focused on good intentions instead of actual results,” said Susan Thomas, Chief Commercial Officer at LucyRx. “The Outcomes Accord changes the way we define and verify performance. It represents a collective dedication to evidence, transparency and a disciplined approach to measuring what truly matters.”

What launches today

• Joining Pathway: A simple request process for employers and advisors to officially sign up and get help with putting the Accord’s standards into action.
• Governance: A group made up of different stakeholders who regularly review and update the measurement rules and make sure verification is trustworthy.
• Metric Specification and FAQ: The working group will draft a guide that explains how success is measured and verified. It will be made publicly available when approved by the Accord Founders.
• Public Reporting: The Outcomes Accord will publish a yearly performance report — starting in 2026 — that shows verified, easy-to-understand results about cost savings and health improvements for participating clients.

In short, the Accord is a practical toolkit and a reporting process that turns health care goals into measurable, transparent outcomes for all involved.

Activation

Signatories can begin aligning to the standards today. LucyRx will coordinate onboarding with consultants and brokers, provide the metric specification and FAQ and convene the working group to finalize the 2026 public reporting plan.

Learn more and participate

• Read the Outcomes Accord FAQ and request the Version 1.0 metric specification.
• Contact LucyRx to join as a signatory or to align current programs to the framework.

About LucyRx

LucyRx is a fast-scaling, independent, next-generation pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) redefining prescription care. Fueled by innovation and decades of leadership experience, LucyRx delivers better outcomes through its integrated specialty network, formulary marketplace, and next-day home delivery solutions. Powered by its proprietary AI platform, LucyIQ™, the company provides real-time insights that support evidence-based clinical decisions, clear pricing, and exceptional service from U.S.-based pharmacy technicians. Partnering with more than 60,000 pharmacies, LucyRx serves over 1,200 clients nationwide.

This is prescription care, brilliantly reimagined.

Learn more at LucyRx.com.

Contacts

Media Contact

Tricia Bancroft

516-241-6157

press@lucyrx.com

Oxford Nanopore Announces PromethION Plus Flow Cell and Human Genetics Updates at ASHG 2025




Oxford Nanopore Announces PromethION Plus Flow Cell and Human Genetics Updates at ASHG 2025

OXFORD, England–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#Nanopore–At the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) 2025 industry session on 16th October, Oxford Nanopore Technologies will share its latest developments in enabling translational and clinical human genetics communities to deliver improved insights into mechanisms for disease in one integrated analysis.

The team will highlight the unique capabilities of the PromethION in delivering comprehensive whole genomes and methylomes, alongside transformational, information-rich targeted assays using Adaptive Sampling.

By delivering fully comprehensive genomic insights, Oxford Nanopore customers are deploying the technology in translational clinical settings to solve diagnostic odysseys in rare disease, enhance cancer characterisation, and drive novel discoveries in common complex disease.

Oxford Nanopore will introduce the PromethION Plus Flow Cell – a new ultra-high-output flow cell designed to deliver increasingly cost effective, comprehensive genomes and methylomes.

Driving value for human geneticists with adaptive sampling and new rapid workflows

At ASHG, Oxford Nanopore will share a series of updates that support the human genetics and translational research communities. These advances expand access to rapid, information-rich genomic and epigenomic analysis through new workflows and targeted sequencing solutions, including:

• The use of adaptive sampling for targeted sequencing –a fast and flexible method to enrich regions of interest that is unique to Oxford Nanopore, eliminating the need for laborious and time intensive optimisations in common capture methods. Multiple applications include:
  • A hereditary cancer panel that interrogates 258 genes associated with inherited cancer risk and enables laboratories to speed up sample-to-answer.
  • Rapid tumour methylation profiling
  • Comprehensive pharmacogenomics panels

Launch of a 24-hour workflow for comprehensive human genome analysis, that delivers sample-to-answer insights in a single day, supporting critical research in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) and enabling rapid and comprehensive genomic insights in rare disease.

PromethION Plus Flow Cells for fully comprehensive, cost-effective human genomes and methylomes

PromethION Plus will deploy an improved flow cell chemistry designed to deliver high data output, enhanced consistency, and value for high throughput human research applications – without the need for flow cell washing. Delivering comprehensive genomic and epigenetic data, PromethION Plus Flow Cells will uniquely be delivered at scale on the PromethION 24 device.

This marks an important step toward multiplexing multiple genomes per PromethION Flow Cell, providing a clear pathway to significantly reducing the cost of premium, fully comprehensive, scaled human genomes and epigenomes below $345 (at 30x coverage), and beyond with future chemistry upgrades on the development roadmap.

PromethION Plus Flow Cells will be introduced in limited release in Q4 2025, with broader availability in 2026.

The new flow cells benefit all human genetics applications where comprehensive genomic and epigenetic data is required at scale. This includes discovery within population-scale studies, as well as high-throughput characterisation of clinical samples, such as those analysed in rare disease or cancer.

Technical overview

Optimised for use with 15–30 kb fragment libraries, PromethION Plus Flow Cells will deliver high output, rich sequencing data for robust and reliable calling of a broad range of genetic variants, including methylation.

Users can expect:

• Significantly increased flow cell output with large fragment libraries (>15kb)
• Reduced hands-on-time with no wash protocols (15kb libraries)
• Lower input requirements
• Best value per 30x genome for high throughput sequencing customers

Prepares the platform for faster kit chemistry to deliver further output improvements planned for 2026

ASHG event

Oxford Nanopore will host an industry education session at ASHG:

Sequencing from large scale to single cell – the new era of biological discovery
Location: Room 153 ABC

Date: Thursday, October 16th

Time: 12:00 pm — 1:00 pm EDT

About Oxford Nanopore Technologies

Oxford Nanopore Technologies’ goal is to bring the widest benefits to society through enabling the analysis of anything, by anyone, anywhere. The company has developed a new generation of nanopore-based sensing technology for faster, information rich, accessible and affordable molecular analysis. The first application is DNA/RNA sequencing, and the technology is in development for the analysis of other types of molecules including proteins. The technology is used in more than 125 countries to understand and characterise the biology of humans and diseases such as cancer, plants, animals, bacteria, viruses, and whole environments.

Oxford Nanopore Technologies products are intended for molecular biology applications and are not intended for diagnostic purposes. For more, visit: https://nanoporetech.com/

Contacts

Media@nanoporetech.com 

New Surescripts First-Fill Abandonment Solution Empowers Providers with Insights to Help Improve Patient Care, Increase Medication Adherence and Advance Value-Based Care Performance




New Surescripts First-Fill Abandonment Solution Empowers Providers with Insights to Help Improve Patient Care, Increase Medication Adherence and Advance Value-Based Care Performance

Partnership with Arcadia Will Help Accelerate Decisions and Keep Patient Care on Track

ARLINGTON, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#HealthIT–Surescripts®, the nation’s leading health intelligence network, introduces First-Fill Abandonment solution to give provider organizations early insights about patient access to prescriptions when a medication goes unfilled, enabling care managers with faster and more accurate data to meaningfully address gaps in patients’ care and better support value-based care performance.

Equipped with earlier insights through First-Fill Abandonment, provider organizations will gain more power and precision to improve patient outcomes by tailoring their strategies based on patient-specific abandonment trends, including:

• Locations with the highest abandonment rates inside a health system
• Prescribers within a health system with the highest abandonment rates
• Most frequently abandoned drugs from prescriptions written by the health system

“As a physician, prescribing a treatment is just one step in the patient care journey but once they leave the office, we typically do not have the ability to know if the patient has gotten the prescription we’ve written,” said Dr. Lynne Nowak, Chief Data and Analytics Officer for Surescripts. “It’s why we developed this solution and are excited to bring enhanced visibility to the next steps in the prescribing process, empowering care providers with meaningful insights, like when a patient does not pick up their medication, so they can perform faster, more targeted interventions to help keep patient care on track.”

More than 1 in 4 new prescriptions written are not filled due to a number of factors, including abandonment by patients, according to a report. First-Fill Abandonment delivers patient insights that help address the most common barriers to care: cost and access.

First-Fill Abandonment proactively compares new prescriptions sent across the Surescripts network and flags when a medication isn’t picked up by the patient. When a prescriber is notified that a patient hasn’t received a new medication, they can work with care coordinators and the patient to help address potential barriers that may lead to improved medication adherence and better care.

In addition to offering First-Fill Abandonment to health systems and electronic health records vendors, Surescripts is partnering with Arcadia, a leading healthcare data platform, to offer this product to their provider customers.

“In value-based care, even a single missed prescription can have a cascading effect on health outcomes, quality measures like HEDIS and Star ratings, and costs. We can’t afford to wait months for claims data to understand medication adherence,” said Michael Meucci, President and CEO of Arcadia. “By integrating near real-time First-Fill Abandonment insights from Surescripts into Arcadia’s platform, providers gain earlier visibility into when patients face barriers to starting therapy. This allows care teams to intervene faster, improve adherence, and ultimately deliver better results for patients and their organizations.”

With First-Fill Abandonment, provider organizations can:

• Stay informed with a 12-month look-back period of first fill abandonment trends
• Configure targeted first fill abandonment rates to align with their organization’s strategies for patient care
• Evaluate medication-based care improvement initiatives
• Uplift STARS & HEDIS measures focused on clinical outcomes

Learn more at HLTH:

Surescripts at HLTH 2025 – October 19-22, Las Vegas, NV

Stop by booth #2318, to learn more about how Surescripts is collaborating across healthcare, bringing innovative technology to care providers, delivering real-time insights, and automating administrative tasks to help keep patient care on track.

About Surescripts

Our purpose is to serve the nation through simpler, trusted health intelligence sharing, in order to increase patient safety, lower costs and ensure quality care. At Surescripts, we bring healthcare together to inform and accelerate decisions, helping keep patient care on track. With the Surescripts Network Alliance®, we’re empowering the healthcare ecosystem with intelligence and interoperability for smarter, faster prescribing, prior authorization, treatment, care management and more. Visit us at surescripts.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

About Arcadia

Arcadia helps providers, payers, and government organizations transform healthcare data into predictive insights that drive better outcomes, increase revenue, and reduce costs. Its industry-leading platform amasses data from across the healthcare ecosystem and converts it into actionable analytics, AI-driven intelligence, and performance benchmarks, enabling smarter decisions and accelerating impact across the enterprise. National and regional health systems and payers, along with governmental organizations – including Aetna, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Intermountain Health, Ochsner Health, and the State of California – trust Arcadia to operationalize their data and lead the way in data-driven healthcare. Visit arcadia.io for more information.

Arcadia® is a trademark of Arcadia Solutions, LLC. All rights reserved.

Contacts

Media Contact:
Kate Giaquinto

(571) 290-6859

Kate.Giaquinto@surescripts.com

Media Contact:
Drew Schaar, Arcadia

Drew.Schaar@arcadia.io

Liberate Bio Demonstrates First In Vivo CAR-M–Mediated B-Cell Depletion in Non-Human Primates




Liberate Bio Demonstrates First In Vivo CAR-M–Mediated B-Cell Depletion in Non-Human Primates

Findings establish CAR-M as a potential new immune-reset modality with improved safety over in vivo CAR-T approaches

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Liberate Bio, Inc., a biotechnology company developing genetic medicines that deliver RNA therapies directly to immune cells, today announced new preclinical data presented at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapies’ Advancing Cell and Gene Therapies for Cancer conference in Philadelphia.

In a non-human primate study, Liberate’s in vivo CAR-M therapy achieved greater than 99% depletion of circulating B cells after two well-tolerated doses. To the company’s knowledge, this represents the first demonstration that CAR-modified monocytes and macrophages (CAR-M) can mediate B-cell depletion in primates, establishing a new potential therapeutic pathway for immune system reset in autoimmune and B-cell–driven diseases.

Transient increases in cytokines, including IL-6 and TNF-α, were observed after each dose, resolving within 48 hours and showing no signs of T-cell proliferation. Combined with less than 1% delivery to T cells, the results indicate that CAR-M may offer a safer in vivo reprogramming profile than CAR-T, with a reduced risk of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and ICANS.

“This is a foundational milestone for the field of in vivo cell therapy,” said Walter R. Strapps, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Liberate Bio. “By reprogramming monocytes and macrophages instead of T cells, we’ve shown that it’s possible to deplete B cells through an entirely new immune compartment—one that naturally traffics to both circulation and tissues while avoiding the excessive immune activation that limits current CAR-T approaches.”

Liberate’s proprietary RAPTOR™ platform directly screens lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) in non-human primates to identify delivery vehicles that target extrahepatic immune cells. The lead LNP from this platform selectively delivered CAR-encoding mRNA to monocytes and macrophages, producing the observed 99% B-cell depletion, demonstrating both potency and reversibility—an encouraging feature for therapeutic use in patients with moderate autoimmune disease who may not tolerate the intensity of CAR-T therapy.

“In vivo CAR-M opens the door to treating millions of patients who have been beyond the reach of traditional cell therapy,” said Shawn P. Davis, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Liberate Bio. “We envision a future where immune programming can be performed safely, repeatably, and at scale—extending the benefits of engineered cell therapies to autoimmune and oncology patients alike.”

Liberate Bio plans to advance its first in vivo CAR-M candidate toward IND-enabling studies, with the goal of supporting the first clinical evaluation in the second half of 2026 through an investigator-initiated trial. This milestone will mark the transition of Liberate’s platform from preclinical validation to human proof-of-concept, advancing a new therapeutic class designed to reprogram immune cells in vivo safely. The company’s initial clinical focus will include autoimmune indications, such as systemic lupus erythematosus and multiple sclerosis, as well as oncology programs, including relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (rrMM), where malignant B cells persist in circulation and bone marrow.

About Liberate Bio

Liberate Bio is building the next generation of genetic medicines by solving the most fundamental challenge in the field: delivery beyond the liver. The company’s proprietary RAPTOR™ platform combines high-throughput in vivo screening in non-human primates with AI-driven design and optimization, creating the first biological dataset powerful enough to train artificial intelligence on real delivery outcomes.

Using this feedback loop, Liberate Bio has engineered lipid nanoparticles that target specific immune and bone marrow–resident cell types, including monocytes, macrophages, and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). This approach enables the programmable delivery of mRNA, gene editing, and other payloads directly to the cells that drive disease — unlocking the potential to treat oncology, autoimmune, and rare genetic disorders from within the body.

Liberate Bio’s first programs focus on in vivo CAR-M therapies to reprogram immune cells safely and at scale. Longer term, the company’s platform provides a foundation for a new class of AI-informed, systemically delivered genetic medicines that extend to multiple organs and therapeutic areas.

For more information about the company’s technologies, team, and mission, visit www.liberatebio.com

Contacts

wstrapps@liberatebio.com

Hospital for Special Surgery and General Atlantic Launch National Platform to Expand Access to Orthopedic and Spine Outpatient Care




Hospital for Special Surgery and General Atlantic Launch National Platform to Expand Access to Orthopedic and Spine Outpatient Care

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Hospital for Special Surgery (“HSS”), the nation’s top-ranked orthopedic hospital, is joining General Atlantic, a leading global investor, in its launch of a new, independently operated national platform of ambulatory surgery centers (“ASCs”) dedicated to delivering advanced, patient-centered orthopedic and spine outpatient care. To support the platform’s buildout, HSS and General Atlantic have also agreed to acquire Legent Health (“Legent”), a portfolio company of BTG Pactual Strategic Capital (“Strat Cap”). Legent is a leading operator of orthopedic and spine facilities, providing an immediate foundation for scale and growth.

The platform represents a significant step forward in expanding patient access to high-quality, accessible orthopedic and spine care nationwide, while addressing rising demand for advanced outpatient solutions. Legent CEO Jordan Fowler will lead the new platform, which combines Legent’s proven operating infrastructure and experienced management team, HSS’s depth of clinical knowledge and community of more than 1,750 alumni surgeons, and General Atlantic’s expertise in building and scaling physician-aligned healthcare platforms.

Many procedures that once required hospital stays can now be performed safely and efficiently in ASCs. The new independent platform aims to expand patient access to advanced orthopedic and spine care closer to home, delivering lower-cost care with improved outcomes in a more comfortable environment. The platform is purpose-built to create lasting partnerships with surgeons and health systems, providing physicians with opportunities for ownership and alignment through meaningful equity participation, clinical autonomy, and special access to HSS’s clinical protocols and advisory services. This will enable physicians and health systems to participate in the site-of-care shift and benefit from ASC-level efficiencies and economics. Over time, HSS and General Atlantic intend to expand the platform nationally through acquisitions, new partnerships, and de novo facilities.

“As the world’s leading academic medical center specializing in musculoskeletal health since 1863, HSS has a special responsibility to deliver the highest-quality care, improve mobility, and enhance quality of life,” said Bryan Kelly, MD, MBA, President, CEO, and Surgeon-in-Chief Emeritus at HSS. “Through this collaboration, we will extend HSS’s clinical expertise and patient-first standards to markets where demand for orthopedic and spine care outpaces supply, and where quality care is limited outside the hospital setting.”

“This platform brings together HSS’s clinical knowledge and General Atlantic’s company-building expertise to create community-based platforms that will expand patient access to premier orthopedic and spine care,” said Robbert Vorhoff, Managing Director and Global Head of Healthcare at General Atlantic. “We are excited to work alongside HSS and Legent to support physicians, deliver quality care, and improve patient outcomes and satisfaction across the country.”

Jordan Fowler, CEO and Chairman of Legent, commented, “Legent was founded on the belief that ambulatory surgery centers can deliver a superior patient and physician experience while lowering costs for everyone involved. We look forward to continuing to provide the highest quality of care and bringing our mission to more patients as part of this pioneering new platform.”

James Frank, Head of Strat Cap at BTG Pactual Global Alternatives, said, “We are proud of the value created through our partnership with the Legent management team. We wish General Atlantic, HSS, and the management team continued success as they embark on this next phase.”

Goodwin Procter LLP and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP served as legal advisors to HSS and General Atlantic. Ducera Partners LLC served as financial advisor, and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and McDermott Will & Schulte LLP served as legal advisors to Legent and Strat Cap.

About Hospital for Special Surgery

HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the 16th consecutive year), No. 3 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2025-2026), and the best pediatric orthopedic hospital in NY, NJ and CT by U.S. News & World Report “Best Children’s Hospitals” list (2024-2025). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has the lowest readmission rates in the nation for orthopedics, and among the lowest infection and complication rates. HSS was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center five consecutive times. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State, as well as in Florida. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. In addition, more than 200 HSS clinical investigators are working to improve patient outcomes through better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat orthopedic, rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. The HSS Innovation Institute works to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is a trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal knowledge and research for physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, academic trainees, and consumers in more than 165 countries. The institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally. www.hss.edu.

About General Atlantic

General Atlantic is a leading global investor with more than four and a half decades of experience providing capital and strategic support for over 830 companies throughout its history. Established in 1980, General Atlantic continues to be a dedicated partner to visionary founders and investors seeking to build dynamic businesses and create long-term value. Guided by the conviction that entrepreneurs can be incredible agents of transformational change, the firm combines a collaborative global approach, sector-specific expertise, a long-term investment horizon, and a deep understanding of growth drivers to partner with and scale innovative businesses around the world. The firm leverages its patient capital, operational expertise, and global platform to support a diversified investment platform spanning Growth Equity, Credit, Climate, and Sustainable Infrastructure strategies. General Atlantic manages approximately $114 billion in assets under management, inclusive of all strategies, as of June 30, 2025, with more than 900 professionals in 20 countries across five regions. For more information on General Atlantic, please visit: www.generalatlantic.com.

About PSN Group, LLC

PSN is a privately held provider of surgical services through its network of surgical hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers operating under the brand Legent Health. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, PSN aligns closely with physicians and payors to provide high quality, high value surgical care in a manner that prioritizes patient service and experience. For more information: https://www.legenthealth.com.

About BTG Pactual Strategic Capital

​BTG Pactual (BPAC11) is the largest investment bank in Latin America with a market capitalization of ~US$ 30B. Strat Cap is an opportunistic investment strategy focused on hybrid solutions in defensive sectors in the U.S. and is part of BTG Pactual’s ~US$ 9.4B Global Alternatives division. Strat Cap partners with management teams and business owners to create value and is led by a seasoned investment team with relevant experience in private equity, credit, and structured solutions. All figures are as of 2Q2025. For more information, please visit http://www.btgstratcap.com.

Contacts

Media Contacts
Hospital for Special Surgery
Tracy Hickenbottom

Assistant Vice President, Public Relations & Social Media

mediarelations@hss.edu
(212) 606-1197

General Atlantic
media@generalatlantic.com

BTG Pactual Strategic Capital
Elaine.Irvin@Btgpactual.com

ProteinQure Reports Broad Brain Distribution of Peptide-siRNA Conjugates in Non-Human Primates




ProteinQure Reports Broad Brain Distribution of Peptide-siRNA Conjugates in Non-Human Primates

TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–ProteinQure announced new preclinical results today, demonstrating efficient delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) to the central nervous system (CNS) in non-human primates. Using intrathecal administration of proprietary peptide-oligonucleotide conjugates that leverage receptor-mediated transport, the study provides evidence of widespread distribution of siRNA throughout the brain.

The data establishes ProteinQure’s platform as competitive with best-in-class approaches. In the 28-day study, the ProteinQure conjugates were directly compared to lipid-based approaches that are considered leading CNS delivery platforms in clinical development. “These results highlight the potential of our siRNA conjugate technology to overcome long-standing barriers in nucleic acid delivery to the brain,” said Lucas Siow, CEO of ProteinQure. “By coupling optimized peptides to oligonucleotides, we have achieved broad CNS biodistribution in primates, with superiority in certain cell types — a critical step toward advancing oligonucleotide therapeutics for neurological disorders.”

These findings and additional early data on ProteinQure’s blood-brain barrier shuttle program will be presented at the 21st Annual Meeting of the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society in Budapest, October 2025.

Contacts

Lucas Siow

lucas@proteinqure.com