Drug Development
The obesity market and Most Favored Nation drug pricing were among the topics de jour at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference last week, while smaller biotechs sought to assure investors that their regulatory ducks are in a row; Novo Nordisk’s oral obesity pill got off to a hot start while the FDA delayed a decision on Eli Lilly’s investigational offering; and SpyGlass Pharma and AgomAb Therapeutics join the 2026 IPO club.
FEATURED STORIES
Three years after the accelerated approval of its anti-amyloid Alzheimer’s therapy, Biogen—neck and neck in the market with Eli Lilly and its Kisunla offering—is focused on a near-term FDA decision for a subcutaneous induction dose of Leqembi, a presymptomatic readout in 2028 and a clutch of next-generation candidates.
BMO analysts say Eli Lilly is well-positioned to maintain its lead in the ballooning weight loss space, predicting “strengthening leadership in obesity and beyond” as portfolios expand and patient access improves.
Facing the loss of exclusivity on key products, Pfizer has pulled forward its lead obesity asset into Phase III and targeted a 2028 launch. CEO Albert Bourla explained the pharma’s strategy at J.P. Morgan on Monday.
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Backed by biopharma royalty, Areteia Therapeutics will focus on developing an old molecule for a very prevalent disease - asthma.
Nanoscope Therapeutics will make two presentations at the 2022 ASRS meeting on their gene therapy programs to treat degenerative retinal diseases, retinitis pigmentosa and Stargardt disease.
Verve Therapeutics dosed its first patient with VERVE-101, a one-time treatment that aims to permanently lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in patients and prevent heart disease.
uniQure gave a 12-month update on AMT-130, the first-ever AAV gene therapy for HD to enter clinical trials. BioSpace spoke with the company’s president of R&D, Dr. Ricardo Dolmetsch.
Exelixis’ Cabometyx, in combination with two BMS-owned drugs, hit the primary endpoint of progression-free survival but missed the secondary endpoint of overall survival in renal cell carcinoma.
Tonix Pharmaceuticals announced a mid-stage study for major depressive disorder, which followed the June disclosure of a Phase II study for a cocaine intoxication therapy.
The experimental drug, being developed to treat immunoglobulin A nephropathy, is IONIS-FB-L Rx, which hit the mark in a Phase II study showing a change in urinary protein after 29 weeks of treatment.
Sanofi announced positive data for its therapeutic, fitusiran, for treating patients with hemophilia A and B, as well as efanesoctocog alfa therapy for treating hemophilia A.
The study was assessing the investigational drug enoblituzumab as part of a combination therapy for head and neck cancer.
Scientists found that SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in the plasma could be a hallmark of long COVID, suggesting that the virus can linger in the body who suffer from prolonged symptoms.