Sanofi (France)
NEWS
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made waves this week, firing the remaining members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices; Metsera’s amylin drug produced weight loss of 8.4% at 36 days; and FDA leaders gathered last week to discuss the future of cell and gene therapy, a sector that has been in turmoil since the ousting of CBER Chief Peter Marks.
Looking at licensing deals struck in the past 10 years, Jefferies found that many Big Pharmas do not ultimately follow through with M&A after earning a right of first negotiation. Sanofi, on the other hand, almost always does, as it did with Vigil recently.
Atopic dermatitis manifests differently in patients with darker skin color, according to the companies, including subtler presentations and more severe and prolonged lesions compared to patients with lighter skin.
Sanofi and BMS paid big money for rare disease and cancer assets, while Regeneron got in the obesity game; AstraZeneca, Gilead and Amgen shone at ASCO; RFK Jr. and the CDC appeared to disagree over COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and several news outlets are questioning the validity of the White House’s Make America Healthy Again report.
Jefferies has predicted more small tuck-in deals to come, as biotechs struggle to access capital despite key clinical milestones on the horizon.
Blueprint has a next-generation systemic mastocytosis treatment, called elenestinib, that Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson told analysts provides an “opportunity to grow through the ‘30s.”
Analysts at Truist Securities admitted that the result for itepekimab, which the companies were hoping to follow their blockbuster Dupixent in the I&I space, was “contrary to our expectations—we were wrong.”
The deal helps revitalize the TREM2 target after the high-profile failure of AbbVie and Alector’s candidate last year.
Many companies have foreshadowed deals to come during earnings calls in recent days. The return of M&A would be a welcome sign for the biopharma ecosystem, which has been battered by macro headwinds such as tariffs and the possibility of new drug pricing pressures.
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