Gamida Cell prices its follow-on public offering at $20M; Rallybio touts Phase Ib data for monoclonal antibody

While Gamida Cell is still charging its way toward approval for its therapies with new CEO Abigail Jenkins in place, it’s looking to garner a little more cash.

The company announced on Wednesday that it will be offering up over 12 million shares and expecting proceeds of an estimated $20 million. The offer is expected to close on Sept. 30. According to Gamida Cell, it plans to use the cash to help with the potential launch of its omidubicel therapy if it gets approval. Omidubicel has a PDUFA date set for Jan. 30, 2023.

If the therapy does get the thumbs-up, the company plans to also use the cash to continue the development of its other candidates and for other corporate purposes.

RallyBio gives an early look at its Phase Ib results for monoclonal antibody

The rare disease biotech RallyBio is getting ready to reveal its initial Phase Ib results for one of its candidates.

The company said Wednesday that it has presented preliminary results in its Phase IB proof-of-concept study for its monoclonal antibody, dubbed RLYB212. The candidate aims to prevent fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT).

Martin Mackay

The data reportedly showed that one week after a single dose, levels of transfused HPA-1a positive platelets went down rapidly when put up against a placebo, in a model of a “catastrophic fetal maternal hemorrhage.” Early data also show the potential for dosing less frequently.

“These preliminary results continue to support our projected effective target therapeutic concentrations for the prevention of maternal HPA-1a alloimmunization by RLYB212. We are pleased to see the rapid and complete elimination of transfused platelets in all subjects to date, with a greater than 90% reduction of the mean platelet elimination half-life compared to placebo, consistent with our proof-of-concept criteria,” RallyBio CEO Martin Mackay said in a statement.

Mackay also stated that the full data will be presented sometime in the first quarter of 2023.

MaxCyte inks a strategic platform license with Vertex to build out its CRISPR program

Maryland-based biotech MaxCyte is working with a major company to advance its CRISPR program.

MaxCyte has signed a licensing deal with Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The deal will have Vertex gain rights to use MaxCyte’s CRISPR/Cas-9-based gene editing platform both commercially and in the clinic, though those rights aren’t exclusive. In the deal, MaxCyte will get licensing fees and other revenue related to the program. However, the financial details of the deal were not revealed.

The platform itself, according to MaxCyte, is a gene-edited cell therapy that is meant to treat patients with sickle cell disease.

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