Two clinical-stage vaccine candidates for Lassa Fever and MERS, funded by CEPI, are being discontinued, but Inovio will continue its focus on DNA medicines for HPV-related conditions and cancer.

Verona Pharma’s Phase III ensifentrine, if approved, would be the first new dual-mechanism treatment class for COPD patients in decades. It could propel the UK-based biotech toward profitability, or into the arms of a larger partner.

The UK biotech is in a strong spot after extending its cash runway to prepare for the launch of ensifentrine, which analysts believe could become a pipeline-in-a-molecule for respiratory diseases.

The Korean firm’s DNA vaccine has shown promise in a Phase II cervical cancer trial in combination with Merck’s Keytruda, prompting the firm to tout potential in the difficult PD-1 negative group.