July 19 Clinical Quick Takes: Polyphor closes Phase III murepavadin trials; plus Takeda and Alector

Polyphor ends PRISM trials
The Swiss immuno-oncology company Polyphor AG (SIX:POLN) closed the Phase III PRISM MDR and PRISM UDR trials of its IV formulation of murepavadin for hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (HABP/VABP) after finding a higher-than-expected incidence of acute kidney injury in the murepavadin arm of the PRISM MDR trial. It plans to continue to develop an inhaled formulation of the synthetic OstA-targeting cyclo-peptide antibiotic. Polyphor suspended enrollment in the trials in May (see "Polyphor Valuation Cut in Half on Halted Phase IIIs of Antibiotic Murepavadin").

Takeda to begin clinical development of iPS CAR Ts
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Tokyo:4502; NYSE:TAK) gained global rights to develop and commercialize a novel induced pluripotent stem cell-derived CAR T cell therapy (iCART) from Kyoto University’s Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA). CiRA will receive undisclosed development and approval milestones, and the teams will continue to collaborate as Takeda prepares to begin clinical testing of the iCART program in 2021. The off-the-shelf CAR T cells are the first iPS cell program from the collaboration to be transferred to Takeda (see "Kyoto University, Takeda Deal")...