Drug Development
Despite the definitive failure of Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide in Alzheimer’s, biotech executives, analysts and other industry experts see potential in more testing of GLP-1s for the neurodegenerative disease, particularly in a combination approach.
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In the midst of regulatory and political upheaval, biopharma’s R&D engine kept running, churning out highs and lows in equal parts. Here are some of this year’s most glorious clinical trial victories.
Every year in biopharma brings its share of grueling defeats, and 2025 was no different, especially for companies targeting neurological diseases. Some failures split up partners, and one particularly egregious case even led to the demise of an entire company.
The R&D pipeline for depression therapies faced a demoralizing 2025 as five high-profile candidates, including KOR antagonists by Johnson & Johnson and Neumora Therapeutics, flunked late-stage clinical trials, underscoring the persistent challenges of CNS drug development.
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Presented at this week’s European Congress on Obesity, the two studies also demonstrate that Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide) provides cardiovascular benefits irrespective of starting weight and the amount of weight lost.
Crackdowns on drug pricing have forced one major insulin out of the market. Are more to come?
Takeda on Monday said it is paying AC Immune $100 million upfront for an option on a Phase Ib/II Alzheimer’s disease candidate that could activate the immune system to clear amyloid beta plaques.
A pre-planned analysis revealed patients receiving the vibostolimab-Keytruda coformulation in a late-stage trial had a high rate of dropouts due to immune-related adverse events, Merck announced Monday.
Results from a Phase I study presented Friday at the ASGCT 2024 annual meeting showed that despite a good safety profile, Excision BioTherapeutics’ HIV gene editor failed to suppress viral activity.
Two of the five fatalities were found to be unrelated to MacroGenics’ investigational antibody-drug conjugate vobra duo, while the other three are still under investigation.
While these technologies are now a therapeutic reality, the ASGCT 2024 annual meeting this week was a reminder of just how far we are from widespread use.
With its $525 million investment, Royalty Pharma will acquire the royalties and milestones for ImmuNext’s anti-CD40 therapy frexalimab, which is currently in Phase III trials for multiple sclerosis.
With 15 patients started across its three gene therapies, bluebird bio claims a 138% year-over-year revenue growth and aims to initiate up to around 100 new patients in the current year.
At a Thursday ASGCT 2024 session, CBER Director Peter Marks made the case for a better, “more convergent” global framework on cell and gene therapies, especially for rare diseases.