Drug Development

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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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RSV
Merck’s clesrovimab lowered the risk of medically attended lower respiratory infections associated with RSV infection when used in infants, according to topline results announced Tuesday.
Innovent Biologics’ dual GLP-1/glucagon receptor agonist mazdutide is also being developed for chronic weight management. China’s regulator accepted Innovent’s drug application for this indication in February 2024.
ALS
After a long and challenging journey for its stem cell therapy NurOwn, BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics has aligned with the FDA on the parameters of a Phase IIIb ALS trial that is expected to begin by the end of 2024.
With GLP-1 receptor agonists expected to dominate the weight loss market in the near term, several young companies are building on this mechanism, while others are taking a completely different approach.
While type 2 diabetes and obesity are the primary conditions currently treated with blockbuster GLP-1 drugs, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly aim to enter additional markets.

While its investigational regimen fell short of the primary efficacy endpoint, AVEO dug into data from its control group and touted a “clinically meaningful” improvement in progression-free survival in patients receiving Fotivda monotherapy.
This is the third episode of Denatured’s discussion on diversity, equity and inclusion. Here, our guests discuss imperatives around access and accountability.
Agenus is now looking for alternative pathways to initiate a Phase III trial for BOT/BAL, including potential partnerships.
Mid-stage data for 4D Molecular Therapeutics’ wet AMD drug 4D-150 show improvements in visual acuity, reduced injection rate and encouraging safety data.

After nixing a twice-daily version of its oral GLP-1 agonist, Pfizer is hoping to break into the weight-loss space with a once-daily version, but experts question its outlook.