Science spotlight: AbbVie’s ADC for inflammation, plus HepaRegeniX’s liver failure therapy and more

AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV), part of the wave of companies diversifying antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) payloads and taking the modality beyond cancer, has published details about its Phase II ADC for rheumatoid arthritis in Science Translational Medicine.

The ADC, dubbed ABV-3773, contains an anti-TNF antibody that both neutralizes serum TNF and facilitates internalization of the ADC in inflamed tissues through TNF receptor-mediated endocytosis. The payload is a glucocorticoid receptor modulator that inhibits pro-inflammatory cytokine production when released in activated immune cells, avoiding the systemic side effects of standard glucocorticoid therapies. ...