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Part of AbbVie’s vow to invest $100 billion in the U.S. over the next decade, the two Illinois facilities will make active ingredients for next-generation neuroscience and obesity drugs when they start operations in 2029.
FEATURED STORIES
The first gene therapies approved to treat sickle cell disease in December 2023 are struggling on the market. But there are glimpses of forward momentum as Vertex and Genetix Bio provide updates.
After last year’s ‘stampede’ for FGF21 assets, the focus for the metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis space has shifted toward differentiated approaches, such as THR-β agonists and combination treatments, that seek to mirror the commercial success of Madrigal’s Rezdiffra.
Maintaining America’s momentum demands that policymakers resist policies that undermine research and development incentives.
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FROM OUR EDITORS
Read our takes on the biggest stories happening in the industry.
FDA
Following the FDA’s refusal to review Moderna’s investigational mRNA flu vaccine last week, Commissioner Marty Makary faced questions from the U.S. president about the agency’s handling of vaccines. It’s a clear signal that the tension long brewing at the drug regulator has now gone all the way to the top.
THE LATEST
Last month, the FDA declined to approve Sanofi’s tolebrutinib for a specific form of multiple sclerosis. In a recently published complete response letter, the agency detailed its reasoning behind the rejection.
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.
The agreement, which BMO Capital Markets called a “mild positive” for Structure, appears to address Roche’s concerns about the composition of investigational weight loss drug CT-996.
OncoNano’s platform, called ON-BOARD, packages drugs in pH-sensitive micelles that ensure their specific delivery near tumors, while also preventing systemic exposure.
Next-generation automation is closing the gap between curative science and real-world demand, enabling faster development, global consistency and broader patient access to CAR T therapies.
IPO
After a strong open to the year, the public markets suffered a six-month drought that led to biotech’s tightest IPO window in years.
Only a handful of the top pharmas have signed Most Favored Nation drug pricing deals with the White House, while smaller biotechs continue to hang in limbo.
FDA
In a year that saw advisory committees placed under a particularly bright microscope at the FDA, the agency held fewer meetings than usual and agreed with its advisors only 57% of the time, Jefferies reported.
Industry leaders are focused on the resilience of key starting material supply and the knock-on effects of automation in the new year.
The fierce rivalry between Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly is alive and well, as the two companies are expected to face off with their new obesity pills this year.