Immunology and inflammation
President Donald Trump unwrapped a massive drug pricing policy as CMS prepares for the next round of Medicare drug price negotiations; Vinay Prasad to take the helm at the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research; Bayer cuts 2,000 more employees; Eli Lilly’s Zepbound scores again; and the Galapagos story turns again.
After losing its powerhouse partner, IGM Biosciences closed “most” of its labs and offices and initiated a strategic review of potential strategic alternatives and options for the business.
On the FDA’s docket this month are two expansion bids, one for GSK’s asthma drug Nucala into COPD and another for Merck’s oral cancer drug for a pair of rare tumors.
With Imaavy, J&J will go toe-to-toe with fellow Big Pharma AstraZeneca, which owns Soliris and Ultomiris.
It’s been a fraught road for the proposed merger between Acelyrin and Alumis, with Tang Capital’s Concentra Biosciences in February threatening to upend the deal with a proposed $3-per-share acquisition of Acelyrin.
The hold, placed by the FDA on an early-stage clinical trial of an experimental BET inhibitor, stems from a recent observation of testicular toxicity in canines given the treatment.
Granite will focus on two antibody therapies, both targeting crucial players in the inflammatory cascade to address autoimmune diseases.
Roche’s Genentech is betting on the Flagship Pioneering–founded company’s discovery platform called DECODE to find new targets for an undisclosed autoimmune disorder.
Dupixent, which was rejected by the FDA for chronic spontaneous urticaria in October 2023, is now approved as the first new targeted therapy for the indication in more than 10 years.
The French pharma giant has made multiple trips to the artificial intelligence well over the past few years, this time with Delaware-based Earendial Labs.
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