Drug Development
Analysts said the outcome is disappointing because there are no approved treatments for dyskinetic cerebral palsy, but the setback had little impact on Neurocrine’s valuation.
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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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CAR T–focused biotech Cargo Therapeutics surprised and disappointed analysts when it announced that it would discontinue a mid-stage trial of its lead program, firi-cel.
Inhibikase’s setback continues biopharma’s losing streak against Parkinson’s, marked by several clinical failures and abandoned assets in recent months.
The approval continues the trend of GLP-1s expanding into indications outside of diabetes and weight loss.
The discontinuation comes after the investigational drug, volenrelaxin, failed a related heart failure study in an overlapping patient population.
Donald Trump continues to make waves in biopharma; Sage rejects Biogen’s unsolicited takeover offer; the obesity space sees more action with new company launches, IPOs and fresh data; and experts get ready for an important era in the Duchenne muscular dystrophy space.
It’s been a rocky few months for BioAge Labs, which shuttered a Phase II trial of its lead candidate azelaprag Tuesday after the molecule caused liver-based side effects.
The results, which come on the heels of the FDA’s approval of J&J’s esketamine nasal spray Spravato as a monotherapy for treatment-resistant depression, could serve to further bolster a space hit hard by the rejection of Lykos’ MDMA-based PTSD therapy in August 2024.
The company, co-founded by Nobel Laureate Craig Mello, aims to push molecules for Huntington’s and a form of epilepsy into Phase I trials, with additional preclinical assets targeting Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
The GLP-1 IPO arena has been heating up for the past two years and Metsera’s ask is one the largest in recent history.
After missing the primary endpoint in the Phase IIb SYMMETRY trial, Akero Therapeutics’ lead molecule, efruxifermin, showed greater improvements after 96 weeks of treatment in an advanced disease population.