FDA sideswipes Neoleukin with clinical hold on lead immunotherapy candidate, sends shares plummeting
Natural killer and CD8 T cells for oncology have been a hotbed of investment in recent years, with some Big Pharma players dabbling in the effort. A smaller competitor, Seattle’s Neoleukin Therapeutics, hoped to give its IL-2 innovator a shot at boosting those cells without the toxicity concerns, but the FDA had other ideas.
The FDA has placed a clinical hold on Neoleukin’s IND application for NL-201, a de novo cytokine receptor agonist for IL-2 and IL-15, which it hoped to test in expanding CD8 T cells and natural killer cells for use in oncologic therapeutic areas, the company said Friday.
Unlock this article instantly by becoming a free subscriber.
You’ll get access to free articles each month, plus you can customize what newsletters get delivered to your inbox each week, including breaking news.