Adagio adopts new name, adds Covid cocktail candidate in ‘new day’ bid after initial drug development woes
12 Sep 2022
AntibodyVaccinemRNA
Adagio is now Invivyd.
Along with the new Invivyd name, it announced on Monday a new antibody cocktail candidate for Covid prevention and treatment with studies set to begin in Q1 2023. The new NVD200 combines two monoclonal antibodies aimed at Omicron variants, and adds to the company’s efforts on its late-stage Covid candidate adintrevimab which was coasting along on a raft of positive data before Omicron emerged.
“We are just finishing a summer that started with changes to firm leadership, and which continued recent evolution to our strategy for tackling disease with our discovery platform,” recently named CEO David Hering said in an email interview when asked about the timing of the name change.
He agreed that “no doubt” along with leadership changes, the new identity “is helpful in reminding a lot of stakeholders that they might consider taking a fresh look alongside us.”
Preview
Source: Endpts
Adagio was founded in the early days of the pandemic by renowned antibody expert Tillman Gerngross, and the fledgling company quickly raised $750 million in a bid to develop a pan-coronavirus antibody. However, it hit a major bump when Omicron emerged and its own up-until-then positive data showed its lead candidate adintrevimab would have a vastly reduced effectiveness against the now-dominant variant.
Gerngross left the company in February under a cryptic SEC filing explanation that he “agreed in principle to resign.” Hering, who was chief operating officer, took over as interim CEO before being made official in March.
After raising more than $750M in quick Covid cash, Tillman Gerngross is on his way out of troubled Adagio
Yet even with its new name and evolved vision, Invivyd isn’t giving up on FDA authorization of the older adintrevimab.
“Given the broadly neutralizing attributes of adintrevimab, Invivyd’s monitoring and assessment of potential variant mutations suggest that a future variant may arise for which adintrevimab could provide protection,” the biotech reports on its pipeline web page.
“Adintrevimab is ready for regulatory review and commercial readiness activities are underway,” Invivyd it adding, noting the biotech has 700,000 doses that could be distributed as soon as 60 days after authorization.
One of the antibodies in the new NVD200 cocktail combo, in fact, is a re-engineered version of adintrevimab, Invivyd said in its press release.
Adagio presses forward with their FDA pitch for Covid antibody — despite Omicron flaws
Hering previously headed Pfizer’s mRNA global business and led the team that launched its Covid-19 vaccineCovid-19 vaccine in the US. He described the evolved Invivyd moving beyond Covid drug development to include other viral diseases such as influenza and specifically H1 and H3 strains. Invivyd’s “engineered antibodies have potential to provide broader, more lasting protection than natural immunity,” he said.
The brand name Invivyd nods to a range of words relevant to the company such as “infectious disease, viral, infinity, innovation, vitality, inquisitive, inviting, vivid and clarity,” as well as Covid, Hering wrote in a LinkedIn post on Monday.
It also represents an evolution from the Adagio name and its original methodical approach to developing a solution to help fight the Covid pandemic.
“Today is a new day. As a company that has evolved and grown in knowledge and expertise, we now need a name that better reflects our company’s ethos, culture, vision, and mission to overcome the natural limitations of the human immune system,” he said. “… Just like the virus continues to evolve, so does our company, and our hyperfocus on viral infections and deep scientific experience aims to help lead the return to normal.”
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