Immunology and inflammation
Eli Lilly and Rigel Pharmaceuticals partnered in February 2021 to advance a pair of RIPK1 blockers, but the pharma in October last year pulled the plug on one of these programs for central nervous system indications.
Leading Beeline Medicines’ pipeline is afimetoran, which is in Phase 2 development for systemic lupus erythematosus with data expected later this year.
Sanofi has faced questions about the potential of lunsekimig in eczema, with executives calling the clinical trial a “measured risk.”
Sales of Amgen’s thyroid eye disease drug Tepezza have slowed, dipping 1% to $457 million in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Biogen, Eli Lilly, Merck and Novartis spent more than $20 billion to absorb biotechs with promising or approved drugs; the rare disease space notched approvals for therapies from Denali Therapeutics, Rocket Pharmaceuticals and Biogen; and Wave’s stock lost half its value after its RNA-based obesity candidate failed to impress investors.
The FDA in January asked Amgen to pull Tavneos from the market, citing liver toxicity issues that affected the drug’s overall risk-benefit profile. The pharma refused.
In addition to delivering two approved medicines to Biogen’s portfolio, the acquisition of Apellis Pharmaceuticals will support the future launch of the pharma’s own kidney disease asset, currently in multiple Phase 3 trials.
Presentations at the 2026 meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology not only demonstrate the therapeutic potential of next-generation skin drugs but also shed light on how they might fare on the market.
Despite hitting its primary endpoint, Viridian’s thyroid eye disease antibody failed to ease eye bulging to the degree that analysts had been hoping for, and the biotech’s stock price fell by one-third.
William Blair hailed a positive readout in cutaneous lupus erythematosus as a turning point for Biogen, while RBC Capital analysts called the results “another derisking step” for the company’s immunology and inflammation pipeline.
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