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.
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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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While it was a relatively quiet week for clinical trial announcements overall, BioSpace takes a look at some of the more intriguing ones.
Amryt Pharma is filing a formal dispute resolution request (FDRR) with the FDA after receiving a CRL that delays the production of its drug for a rare skin disorder.
Intellia Therapeutics and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals presented positive interim data from an ongoing Phase I trial of NTLA-2001 for transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis.
Positive news continues for COVID-19 vaccine development and distribution, with Sanofi and GSK announcing the success of their candidate against the Omicron variant.
The Boston University School of Medicine has unraveled details about a known genetic component for the development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD): the APOE4 gene.
With the submission of NDAs and BLAs, multiple companies are bidding for regulatory approval of drug candidates. BioSpace takes a look at several of the latest requests.
Biogen indicated it has terminated an observational study of its approved Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm after only 29 people signed up for an expected enrollment of 6,000 patients.
Sarepta announced that the FDA has put the Phase II trial for its SRP-5051 (vesleteplirsen) for the treatment of patients with DMD on clinical hold following a serious safety signal.
An experimental AstraZeneca drug for Wilson disease hit the mark in a Phase III study in which the drug, ALXN1840, was able to mobilize copper three times greater than standard-of-care.
Although COVID-19 appears to be on the run in the U.S., there is still a threat of resurgence. Here’s a look at some of the most recent COVID-19 stories and research.