News

In this episode of Denatured, you’ll hear from Jack Crawford, CEO of Demeetra, and Magnus Gustavsson, chief commercial officer at NorthX Biologics. We unpack the evolution of cell line development — CHO cells, targeted integration, transposases and the collaboration models speeding biologics from sequence to GMP.
FEATURED STORIES
Psychedelics are gaining momentum in depression, with one treating physician predicting that the drug class could “wipe out the SSRIs” if safety and durability hold up.
Saol Therapeutics is the latest biotech to resubmit for approval of a drug rejected under former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, following REGENXBIO and Replimune.
Even as FDA approvals for biologic therapies fell in the first half of 2026, regulatory experts are optimistic about a turnaround in the rare disease space after the departure of key leaders at the agency. Still, there will continue to be tension between science and politics.
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
FDA
Johnson & Johnson, which did not apply for the national priority voucher, was granted the ticket based on results from a Phase III study testing Tecvayli plus Darzalex in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.
Representatives of companies including AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson and Merck have voiced concerns about the FDA’s approach to pre-approval inspections.
Varegacestat, a gamma secretase inhibitor, significantly improved progression-free survival while also meeting all key secondary endpoints in the pivotal RINGSIDE trial. Immunome is planning an FDA application for the second quarter of 2026.
Sanofi bought Dren’s DR-0201 program earlier this year for $600 million upfront and is running two Phase I trials in undisclosed inflammatory indications.
Vyvgart, an FcRn inhibitor already approved for generalized myasthenia gravis, is also being tested in myositis, Sjögren’s disease and the “clinically related” Graves disease.
Sanofi’s multiple sclerosis hopeful tolebrutinib faced dual setbacks on Monday, with a late-stage failure in one form of the disease and yet another regulatory setback in another.
The FDA had previously turned back the heart rhythm nasal spray twice, once in late 2023 with a refusal to file letter and again in March this year, when it flagged manufacturing issues.
For $950 million upfront, Sobi will gain ownership to pozdeutinurad, an oral URAT1 inhibitor that performed well in Phase II studies.
The FDA’s Vinay Prasad recently claimed in an internal memo that at least 10 children have died from coronavirus vaccines, but an internal safety review showed that the count was much lower.
In the midst of regulatory and political upheaval, biopharma’s R&D engine kept running, churning out highs and lows in equal parts. Here are some of this year’s most glorious clinical trial victories.