Today Stories
Royalty Pharma has struck a landmark agreement to purchase a royalty interest in Amgen’s lung cancer therapy Imdelltra for up to $950 million. The pharmaceutical financier will pay $885 million upfront to BeOne Medicines—which retains the drug’s commercial rights in China—and may acquire additional royalty rights worth $65 million within twelve months. Under the deal, Royalty Pharma will receive roughly 7 percent of global net sales of Imdelltra, excluding the Chinese market.
Imdelltra, approved in the U.S. in 2024 for small cell lung cancer patients whose disease progressed after platinum‑based chemotherapy, has already shown remarkable clinical results. A Phase 3 trial demonstrated a 40 percent reduction in risk of death and a median overall survival of 13.6 months compared to 8.3 months…
Tiziana Life Sciences has reached a key milestone in its Phase 2a clinical trial of intranasal Foralumab for non‑active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (na‑SPMS). Patient dosing has now commenced at Yale’s Multiple Sclerosis Center, expanding the study’s reach beyond its initial sites and underscoring progress in the multicentre, randomized, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled investigation.
Launched in late 2023, the trial explores two dosing regimens of Foralumab against placebo, assessing effects on microglial activation via PET imaging, alongside standard measures of disability, cognition, fatigue, and quality of life. The inclusion of Yale adds to a network of major US research centres (including Johns Hopkins, UMass, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and more) enhancing the study’s…
Stoke Therapeutics and Biogen have initiated the global Phase III EMPEROR trial of zorevunersen (previously known as STK‑001) for children and adolescents with Dravet syndrome. This pioneering antisense oligonucleotide is designed to boost expression of the healthy SCN1A gene, potentially addressing not just seizure frequency but also cognitive and behavioral impairments. The study will enroll approximately 150 patients across the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and Japan. Participants will undergo 8 weeks of baseline monitoring followed by 52 weeks of treatment, beginning with two 70 mg loading doses and transitioning to two 45 mg maintenance doses. The primary outcome measure is the reduction in major motor seizure frequency, with secondary outcomes assessing improvements in behav…
German pharmaceutical company Bayer and U.S.-based Kumquat Biosciences have entered into an exclusive global license and collaboration agreement to develop and commercialize Kumquat’s KRAS G12D inhibitor. Under the deal, Kumquat will initiate and complete the Phase 1a clinical trial while Bayer will assume responsibility for later-stage development and commercialization. The asset received FDA approval for its investigational new drug (IND) application in July 2025 and addresses KRAS G12D mutations—common in pancreatic, colorectal, and non‑small cell lung cancers, yet currently lacking effective therapies. Kumquat stands to receive up to $1.3 billion in milestones, upfront payments, and tiered royalties, plus an option for profit‑loss sharing in the U.S. This partnership aligns Kumquat’s d…
Pfizer and Astellas announced encouraging interim results from a late stage trial combining its antibody drug conjugate Padcev with Merck’s immunotherapy Keytruda in patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer. The combination, administered before and after surgery, delivered significant improvements in both event‑free survival (how long patients remained recurrence‑free) and overall survival compared to surgery alone. Johanna Bendell, Pfizer’s oncology chief development officer, emphasised the potential for this treatment to reshape standard care for this aggressive cancer, which accounts for around 25 percent of new bladder cancer cases. Padcev, approved in 2019 for metastatic urothelial cancer, generated $1.59 billion in sales last year. Pfizer and Astellas now plans to engage with glo…
Eli Lilly and Company has joined forces with the UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to launch an £85 million programme aimed at developing innovative models of care for obesity. Delivered in partnership with Innovate UK, the initiative will run a UK-wide competition inviting NHS organisations to propose novel approaches to obesity management, with selected projects receiving pilot funding.
The programme seeks to improve support for people living with obesity while aligning with the Government’s vision for an ‘NHS fit for the future’. Funding includes up to £50 million from DSIT and up to £35 million from Lilly, with at least £10 million earmarked for projects in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Models will be assessed for clinical alignment, resou…
Almirall selects second target in AI Drug Creation collaboration
Expanded collaboration builds on Absci’s successful de novo molecule design for difficult‑to‑drug targets in the first stage of the collaboration with Almirall
Barcelona, Spain, August 7, 2025 – Almirall (BME: ALM), a global biopharmaceutical company focused on medical dermatology, and Absci Corporation (Nasdaq: ABSI), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company advancing breakthrough therapeutics with generative AI, today announced the expansion of their ongoing AI Drug Discovery collaboration with Almirall’s selection of a second target aimed at dermatological indications.
The expansion of the collaboration follows the successful delivery of AI-designed, functional antibody leads against a difficult-to-drug target—the fi…
US Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. has authorised the cancellation of 22 federally backed vaccine development programmes worth nearly $500 million, specifically those using mRNA technology to target respiratory viruses such as influenza, COVID‑19 and H5N1. Kennedy asserts that these vaccines “do not protect effectively” against upper‑respiratory infections and prefers investment in broader, whole‑virus platforms he considers safer.
The affected contracts involve major players like Pfizer, Moderna, Sanofi Pasteur and CSL Seqirus. While HHS says some late‑stage projects will continue to completion to protect prior taxpayer investment, the shift marks a stark contrast to the mRNA‑focused strategies that were central to the COVID‑19 response.
Public health experts, including Mike O…
Paris, August 6, 2025. Sanofi announces the completion of its acquisition of Vigil Neuroscience, Inc. (“Vigil”). This acquisition strengthens Sanofi’s early-stage pipeline in neurology with VG-3927, a novel, oral, small-molecule TREM2 agonist, which will be evaluated in a phase 2 clinical study in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, the acquisition of Vigil’s preclinical pipeline will further strengthen Sanofi’s research in various neurodegenerative diseases.
In June 2024, Sanofi made a $40 million strategic investment in Vigil that included the exclusive right of first negotiation for an exclusive license, grant, or transfer of rights to research, develop, manufacture, and commercialize VG-3927.
Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, Sanofi and Vigil have agreed to…
Novo Nordisk is confronting intensifying challenges surrounding its blockbuster weight‑loss therapy Wegovy (semaglutide). The company has slashed its 2025 sales growth forecast to 8–14% from an earlier projection of 13–21%, triggering an estimated €60–70 billion drop in market value across stock markets. Rising competition from Eli Lilly’s Zepbound and Mounjaro, coupled with the widespread availability of unbranded compounded versions of Wegovy in the U.S., have significantly dented its market share.
Novo Nordisk has also ended its partnership with telehealth firm Hims & Hers following concerns over the sale of cheaper compounded semaglutide that undercut branded products. New CEO Maziar Mike Doustdar, a long‑time company insider and first non‑Danish leader, is expected to refocus comm…
A new trade framework announced during talks between President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen introduces a 15 % tariff on EU exports to the U.S., including branded pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceutical companies in Europe have warned that this move may add between $13 billion and $19 billion in annual costs to the industry.
The tariffs are contingent on a pending U.S. Section 232 investigation into drug imports and will remain on hold until that probe concludes, expected around August . Generic medicines are reportedly excluded from the duties, though ambiguity remains about which specific products qualify.
Industry representatives, including the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), criticised the policy as a blunt instru…
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has struck a major licensing agreement with Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals granting GSK exclusive global rights—outside Greater China—to Hengrui’s clinical‑stage COPD drug HRS‑9821 along with 11 additional early‑stage programmes across respiratory, immunology, inflammation and oncology. The deal involves a $500 million upfront payment, with total potential milestone and royalty payments of up to $12 billion if all development and commercial targets are met. HRS‑9821 is a PDE3/4 inhibitor being developed for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, intended to address persistent shortness of breath and provide maintenance therapy regardless of background treatment. Hengrui will lead early development of the 11 other programmes up to completion of phase I trials, while G…
Responding to the British Medical Association (BMA) confirming that resident doctors will go on strike this week, Rory Deighton, acute director at the NHS Confederation, said:
“It is bitterly disappointing that the British Medical Association (BMA) has not taken the decision to call off the strikes and that patients and the public now face five days of widespread disruption. This is in spite of efforts by the government and the NHS to avert the strike.
"The impact will be felt most acutely by patients. We are talking about vital, life-changing care being disrupted. The needs of every at-risk patient should be put first here but they are not.
"NHS leaders and their teams will do all they can to mitigate the risks and to try to ensure that as many essential services as possible are kept up a…
One Biosciences, a Paris‑based precision oncology techbio spin‑out from Institut Curie founded in 2020, has secured €15 million in a Series A funding round. Co‑led by Redmile Group and Blast, the round also saw participation from Galion.exe, Invus, Adamed Technology, Sofinnova Partners, Polytechnique Ventures, and Kima Ventures. These funds will advance the clinical and strategic development of its flagship OneMap™ platform—an AI‑powered, single‑cell transcriptomic tool designed to decode tumour heterogeneity in routine biopsy samples.
OneMap™ aims to deliver high-resolution tumour profiles within two weeks to guide treatment decisions, improve patient selection, support therapy development, and optimise clinical trials . One Biosciences has already raised over €20 million including seed f…
Sanofi is set to acquire London‑based biotech company Vicebio in a deal valued at USD 1.15 billion, with additional milestone payments up to USD 450 million pending R&D progress. The acquisition, expected to close in Q4 2025, adds Vicebio’s non‑mRNA vaccine candidates targeting respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV) to Sanofi’s portfolio. Integral to the agreement is access to Vicebio’s innovative “Molecular Clamp” technology. This platform stabilises viral proteins in their prefusion state, allowing the creation of fully liquid combination vaccines that are easier to store, distribute and administer in standard refrigerated conditions. The acquisition aligns with Sanofi’s ongoing push into respiratory vaccines—complementing its existing flu and RSV programm…
Thermo Fisher Scientific has reached an agreement to acquire Sanofi’s sterile drug product manufacturing facility in Ridgefield, New Jersey. The site, specializing in fill‑finish and packaging of aseptic injectable medications, currently employs over 200 staff who will transfer to Thermo Fisher upon deal completion. The acquisition is expected to close in late 2025 and aligns with both companies’ strategic initiatives to bolster U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Sanofi is ramping up investments in U.S. manufacturing and research, targeting at least $20 billion by 2030. Thermo Fisher, which is committing roughly $2 billion to enhance its domestic production capacity, views the Ridgefield location as a key asset. CEO Marc Casper highlighted that the acquisition strengthens Thermo Fisher’s a…
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries has launched its novel oral treatment LEQSELVITM (deuruxolitinib) 8 mg tablets in the US for adults with severe alopecia areata. The debut follows an out‑of‑court settlement and licensing agreement with Incyte Corporation, resolving all pending patent disputes and clearing the path for the drug’s US rollout.
LEQSELVITM, acquired through Sun Pharma’s $576 million purchase of Concert Pharmaceuticals, is a JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor that offers a much‑needed treatment for severe hair loss. In Phase III trials (THRIVE‑AA1/AA2), about one‑third of patients experienced at least 80 % scalp hair regrowth in 24 weeks.
Analysts project annual US sales of $400 million by fiscal year 2030, with peak potential of $900 million. Stock market analysts expect the launch and legal cle…
Sino Biopharmaceutical, a major Hong Kong–listed biotech, is set to acquire the remaining 95.09% of Shanghai’s LaNova Medicines for up to US $950.9 million, completing a full takeover pending regulatory approval within 30 business days. This move builds on Sino’s initial 4.91% investment in November 2024, when it participated in LaNova’s US $42 million Series C1 funding round.
Founded in 2019, LaNova has developed a rich pipeline of antibody-based cancer treatments, including LM‑299 (an anti‑PD‑1/VEGF bispecific antibody currently in Phase 1), LM‑108 (a CCR8‑targeting mAb in Phase 2), and LM‑302 (a Claudin 18.2‑targeting ADC in Phase 3). It has also already attracted licensing interest from global players: LM‑299 was licensed to Merck in a deal worth up to US $3.3 billion, and earlier asse…
Artrya, in collaboration with the University of Western Australia (UWA) and clinical partners, has unveiled a novel AI‑driven calcium scoring tool—CAC‑DAD—aimed at enhancing heart attack risk prediction. Unlike the traditional Agatston coronary calcium score, which solely measures calcified plaque, CAC‑DAD factors in the location and density of each lesion. It assigns lower risk to dense, stable plaques and higher risk to those near the artery’s origin—addressing key limitations of existing models .
Fully automated, CAC‑DAD quickly processes CT scans with a one‑click interface and outperforms the Agatston score in predicting cardiac events in vulnerable patients, particularly around the time of surgery. Early studies demonstrate that combining both scores further enhances diagnostic accura…
LEO Pharma has struck a major deal to acquire exclusive global commercial rights for Spevigo (spesolimab) from Boehringer Ingelheim for US $105 million upfront, with milestone payments and royalties expected later. Spevigo is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the IL‑36 receptor, approved for generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP)—a rare, potentially life‑threatening skin disease characterized by painful pustular flares. Boehringer has already launched the therapy in more than 40 countries, including the US, Japan, China, and Europe.
Under the agreement, LEO Pharma will lead global commercialization and further development of Spevigo, leveraging its deep expertise in dermatology. Both companies will explore expanding the therapy into other IL‑36–mediated skin conditions such as palmop…
