Express plans to spend about $1.9 billion to harvest Phase 3 clinical JAK inhibitors, GlaxoSmithKline expands hematology pipeline

▎WuXi AppTec content team editor GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Sierra Oncology jointly announced today that the two parties have reached an agreement, GSK will spend about 1.
9 billion US dollars to acquire Sierra Oncology
.

Sierra Oncology's innovative JAK inhibitor momelotinib recently met all primary and key secondary endpoints in a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with myelofibrosis and is expected to submit a regulatory filing in the U.
S.
in the second quarter of this year
.

Myelofibrosis is a deadly cancer of the bone marrow that affects the normal production of blood cells
.

Anemia is a high unmet medical need in patients with myelofibrosis
.

At diagnosis, approximately 40% of patients are already anemic, and it is estimated that nearly all patients will eventually develop anemia
.

Patients treated with the most commonly used JAK inhibitors often require blood transfusions, and more than 30% of patients discontinue treatment due to anemia
.

Anemia and transfusion dependence are strongly associated with poor prognosis and decreased overall survival
.

Momelotinib has a different mode of action, and this activity may have a beneficial therapeutic effect on anemia and reduce the need for blood transfusions while treating symptoms
.

In January 2022, Sierra Oncology announced positive top-line results from a Phase 3 clinical trial
.

▲Momelotinib molecular formula (Image source: Ed (Edgar181), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons) At 24 weeks of treatment, 25% of the patients in the momelotinib group achieved an improvement of more than 50% in the overall symptom score (TSS) compared with the baseline.
A value of 9% (p=0.
0095)
.

The trial also met key secondary endpoints, with transfusion-independent proportion of patients at 24 weeks: 31% in momelotinib group vs 20% in control group; proportion of patients with greater than 35% reduction in spleen volume: 23% in momelotinib group vs 3 in control group %
.

Mr.
Luke Miels, Chief Commercial Officer, GSK said: "Momelotinib provides a differentiated treatment option that addresses the significant unmet medical need of myelofibrosis patients with anemia, which is a major reason for patients to discontinue treatment
.

Through this time With this acquisition, we have the opportunity to bring meaningful new benefits to patients
.

" Stephen Dilly, Ph.
D.
, President and CEO of Sierra Oncology, said, "Combining with GSK creates the most significant opportunity for Sierra Oncology to achieve its mission of developing targeted therapies for rare cancers.
Great opportunity
.

Now we have a partner with the global infrastructure and oncology expertise to enable us to deliver momelotinib to patients globally as quickly as possible
.

” Reference: [1] GSK Reaches Agreement to Acquire Late-Stage Biopharmaceutical Company Sierra Oncology For $1.
9bn.
Retrieved April 13, 2022, from https:// Disclaimer: WuXi AppTec's content team focuses on global biopharmaceutical health research progress
.

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.

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.

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.