At ASCO Day 3, AstraZeneca showcased its dominance, Takeda revealed data on an experimental drug, and Eli Lilly served a salad at its booth, highlighting the event's mix of scientific updates and marketing strategies.
NetherRealm has released a gameplay trailer for Mortal Kombat 1's final Year 1 DLC character, Takeda, showcasing his bladed whips and fatality ahead of his July 23 release. Takeda, a former Yakuza turned Shirai Ryu warrior, joins other DLC characters like Omni-Man and Homelander. The reveal precedes a Comic-Con 2024 panel where Year 2 plans for Mortal Kombat 1 will be discussed.
Dourados, a city in Brazil's Mato Grosso do Sul state, has started the country's first mass vaccination campaign against dengue using Takeda's vaccine, QDENGA. The campaign aims to vaccinate 150,000 residents aged between 4 and 59, with the first batch of 90,000 doses already distributed. This follows a rise in dengue cases and deaths in Brazil, with 1.6 million cases and 1,053 deaths reported in 2023. The vaccine will be included in Brazil's national vaccination program but will initially focus on priority groups due to limited supply.
A leak from Mortal Kombat 1 suggests that Takeda, a character from MKX, will have a different origin in the rebooted timeline. The leaked voice lines indicate that Takeda is no longer Kenshi's son but rather his cousin. While this information should be taken with caution, if true, it will be interesting to see how this altered family dynamic affects the Takahashi clan. Concrete details about Takeda's new origin may not be revealed for some time, as he is not expected to arrive until Summer 2024.
Takeda is ending its seven-year partnership with Theravance and cutting a partnered Crohn's program after a Phase IIb failure. The company is also cutting seven clinical trials for various diseases and cancers and plans to lay off over 180 workers.
Takeda has signed a licensing deal with Innate Pharma to use a panel of antibodies to research and develop antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for celiac disease. In exchange for exclusive worldwide rights to whatever ADCs are developed using a selection of Innate’s antibodies, Takeda will give Innate a $5 million upfront payment with the potential for $410 million in milestones, plus royalties on net sales of any product resulting from the license.