Dermira’s experimental acne drug failed to meet its endpoints in Phase III clinical trials. The company will likely shelve the drug for good after the setback. Dermira’s shares were down 63% on Monday morning on the news. (STAT)


For many Americans with serious chronic conditions, the cost of life-saving drugs is reaching a breaking point. Amid promises to lower drug costs from the Trump administration, many U.S. citizens are skipping treatments or going into debt to make ends meet. (New York Times/ProPublica)

Santhera Pharmaceutical’s drug Raxone was no better at improving the disease progression of multiple sclerosis than a placebo. It is the latest in a string of setbacks for the Swiss drugmaker, whose lead product is Raxone. (Reuters)  

Two biotech companies plan to start using gene-editing techniques as early as this year. Crispr Therapeutics has applied to use the technology in patients suffering from the inherited blood disease beta-thalassaemia, while Editas Medicine said it will apply to use it in patients with a form of congenital blindness. (Financial Times)

Two patients died in one arm of Unum Therapeutics’ first round of clinical trials for a cancer treatment. The company, which is developing antibody-coupled T cell immunotherapies for cancers, filed for an $86 million IPO, but did not disclose the deaths until after its roadshow. (Endpoints)