Immunology and inflammation
The Repertoire partnership is Lilly’s second immunology play of the year, after the acquistion of Ventyx in early January for a pipeline of NLRP3 assets.
The cornerstone of the deal is SIM0709, which Simcere designed to target both TL1A and IL-23, crucial players in facilitating inflammation. Boehringer Ingelheim will advance the asset for inflammatory bowel diseases.
The mixed data from the Phase III COAST 2 trial follows an underwhelming data drop from COAST 1 in September that Leerink Partners said “fell well below expectations.”
Primarily known as an immunology and neuroscience company, AbbVie wanted to put the biopharma world on notice during its J.P. Morgan presentation: its oncology portfolio is underappreciated. This week, the Illinois-based company dove into the sizzling PD-1/VEGF space with a licensing deal with China-based RemeGen.
After years stuck in the “doldrums,” the biopharma sector is in a “very good place” heading into the new year, analysts told BioSpace, with both rare and chronic diseases headlining investor and R&D interest as JPM26 kicks off.
Aside from the layoffs, InflaRx will deprioritize Gohibic, a COVID-19 antibody that was granted emergency use authorization in 2023. The therapy failed a late-stage trial in a rare skin disease last year.
The deals will help Lilly diversify its portfolio that is heavily weighted on the obesity juggernaut tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for weight loss.
While Zenas’ obexelimab hit the primary endpoint in the Phase III INDIGO study, it came far below the efficacy threshold set by Amgen’s B cell depleter Uplizna, approved by the FDA for IgG4-related disease last April.
J&J paid Numab Therapeutics $1.25 billion upfront for the asset in 2024 based on the belief that its dual mechanism of action could improve on existing therapies.
As 2026 begins, a slate of high-stakes clinical readouts—from a pivotal study of Novartis’ cardiovascular candidate pelacarsen to a Phase III test of Eli Lilly’s next-gen Alzheimer’s drug—are poised to reshape therapeutic landscapes.
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