News

New data on Hengrui Pharma and Kailera Therapeutics’ investigational oral GLP-1 have validated the late-stage weight loss asset and paved the road for a regulatory submission in China, but analysts pointed to high rates of nausea and vomiting that could challenge the ongoing U.S. study.
FEATURED STORIES
Molecular glue degraders are gaining traction in the clinic as well as funding from Big Pharma, with their potential to treat previously “undruggable” cancers and immunological diseases. Here are five clinical programs worth keeping an eye on.
Last month, the FDA launched TrialBlazer, intended to streamline the IND path and bring early clinical trials and medical innovation home to the U.S. It’s a start, but new agency leadership must see it through.
FDA
Significant leadership instability at the FDA—compounded by continued workforce attrition—led to a slight slowdown in overall regulatory productivity in the first half of this year, but the agency has been catching up of late.
FROM OUR EDITORS
Read our takes on the biggest stories happening in the industry.
Congressional letters sent to the CEOs of Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Merck, BMS and AbbVie this week voicing concerns about the pharmas’ clinical trials in China highlight an ongoing discrepancy in how government and industry think about the rise of the Asian country’s biotech industry.
THE LATEST
Life sciences talent acquisition teams are examining internal processes and thinking critically about their employer value proposition as they prepare for innovation and market swings.
Months after a denial of its rare eye cancer injection, Aldeyra Therapeutics is bracing for another potential rejection by the regulator, this time for its investigational dry eye disease treatment.
In a follow-up readout, data from the head-to-head SEQUENCE study showed that AbbVie’s Skyrizi induced better rates of steroid-free remission in Crohn’s disease than Johnson & Johnson’s Stelara.
FDA
The blockbuster PD-1 inhibitor’s label expanded further on Monday when the FDA greenlit Keytruda as a perioperative treatment for certain patients with earlier stages of non-small cell lung cancer.
The biopharma discontinued its late-stage study after an interim review found that its investigational treatment for immunoglobin A nephropathy did not achieve statistically significant improvement over placebo.
The company’s experimental lgG4 antibody met the primary endpoint in a late-stage study of the rare skin disease. AnaptysBio will submit an application to the FDA by the third quarter of 2024.
FDA
The regulator approved the combination of Pfizer’s Braftovi and Mektovi for the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer in adult patients with a BRAF V600E mutation.
The Danish pharma announced Monday that it is buying a Phase III hypertension candidate from Singapore-based KBP Biosciences. It is Novo Nordisk’s third high-value purchase in as many months.
Patients in a late-stage trial treated with Eli Lilly’s GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist saw a 21.1% mean body weight reduction over 72 weeks following an intensive lifestyle intervention program.
A revised Paxlovid supply agreement with the U.S. government has pushed Pfizer to launch a “cost realignment” program including layoffs, though it is still unclear how many employees will be affected.