Latest Pharma and Biotech News
Pharmaceutical
9 July 2025 US pharma giant Merck & Co today revealed it has made a bid to acquire UK-based lung therapy company Verona Pharma, sending the latter’s shares up 20.4% to $104.61 in pre-market activity.
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Biotechnology
Radiant Biotherapeutics, a Canadian biotech advancing multi-specific, multi-affinity antibody (Multabody) therapeutics in cancer and autoimmune diseases, has announced the appointment of Deborah Geraghty as president and chief executive. 9 July 2025
Biotechnology
Dutch privately held Amarna Therapeutics, which specializes in transformative gene therapies announced the formalization of an agreement with biologics manufacturing partner, Sweden’s NorthX Biologics, to accelerate the development of Nimivec, Amarna’s next-generation gene therapy platform targeting immune-mediated diseases. 9 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
Shares of US biopharma Rhythm Pharmaceuticals rose 27.4% to $82.96 in early trading today, as it announced positive top-line results from its Phase II trial evaluating bivamelagon (formerly LB54640), an investigational oral melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) agonist, in patients with acquired hypothalamic obesity. 9 July 2025
Biotechnology
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a label update with a new recommended titration dosing schedule for Kisunla (donanemab-azbt), Eli Lilly's once-monthly amyloid-targeting therapy for early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease (AD), including patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and the mild dementia stage of AD, with confirmed amyloid pathology. 9 July 2025
Biotechnology
US clinical-stage biotech ProKidney reported statistically-significant and clinically-meaningful positive top-line results from the full Group 1 modified intent-to-treat (mITT) population of the Phase II REGEN-007 trial evaluating rilparencel in patients with CKD and diabetes. 9 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
US antivirals specialist Gilead Sciences today announced a strategic partnership agreement with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) to supply lenacapavir - Gilead's twice-yearly injectable HIV-1 capsid inhibitor - for the prevention of HIV as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). 9 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have hosted a hybrid workshop on reducing animal testing. 9 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
US pharma giant Merck & Co today revealed it has made a bid to acquire UK-based lung therapy company Verona Pharma, sending the latter’s shares up 20.4% to $104.61 in pre-market activity. 9 July 2025
Biotechnology
Japan’s JCR Pharmaceuticals closed 15% higher after Wednesday’s trading, as it signed a new licensing deal. 9 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
New Jersey, USA-headquartered Champions Oncology, a translational oncology research organization, yesterday announced the full commercial launch of its radiopharmaceutical services platform. 9 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
French biotech Ciloa is joining the race to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, armed with 6.5 million euros ($7.6 million) in public funding and a novel take on an old metabolic target. 9 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
A new analysis from US data analytics firm Phesi has raised concerns about the viability of ongoing Phase III trials in atopic dermatitis (AD), pointing to a rising risk of failure driven by flawed trial design and overreliance on saturated investigator sites. 9 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk has filed for European approval of a higher-dose version of its obesity treatment Wegovy (semaglutide), aiming to expand options for patients who need stronger support for weight loss. 9 July 2025
Biotechnology
Radiopharmaceutical biotech Actithera today announced the close of an oversubscribed $75.5 million Series A financing round. 9 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
Donald Trump has escalated his warnings to the pharmaceutical industry with a pledge to introduce import tariffs as high as 200% on drugs produced outside the USA. The US president said companies would be granted a grace period of up to 18 months before the measure takes effect. 9 July 2025
Biotechnology
US oncology-focused biotech Crescent Biopharma has appointed Jan Pinkas as chief scientific officer (CSO). 8 July 2025
Biotechnology
Debra Barker has been named chief medical officer (CMO) at Centauri Therapeutics, a UK immunotherapy company with a proprietary platform technology applicable across a wide range of therapeutic indications. 8 July 2025
Biotechnology
San Francisco, USA-based biotech Centivax, which is developing durable, universal vaccines, today announced the close of a $45 million Series A led by Steve Jurvetson’s Future Ventures, with participation from NFX, BOLD Capital, Base4, Kendall Capital Partners, Amplify Bio, and existing investors. 8 July 2025
Biotechnology
Diagonal Therapeutics, a US biotech focused on correcting dysregulated signaling with clustering antibodies that address the underlying cause of intractable genetic diseases, has announced the appointment of John Lee as chief medical officer (CMO). 8 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
Switzerland-based MetP Pharma, pioneer in nose-to-brain drug delivery for nearly two decades, announced new data highlighting the advantages of its proprietary MetP Technology in delivering neuroactive peptides such as semaglutide directly to the brain via the intranasal route. 8 July 2025
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Pharmaceutical
Singapore-based market expansion services provider DKSH Business Unit Healthcare announced a partnership with Germany’s Bayer. 10 July 2025
Biotechnology
Radiant Biotherapeutics, a Canadian biotech advancing multi-specific, multi-affinity antibody (Multabody) therapeutics in cancer and autoimmune diseases, has announced the appointment of Deborah Geraghty as president and chief executive. 9 July 2025
Biotechnology
Dutch privately held Amarna Therapeutics, which specializes in transformative gene therapies announced the formalization of an agreement with biologics manufacturing partner, Sweden’s NorthX Biologics, to accelerate the development of Nimivec, Amarna’s next-generation gene therapy platform targeting immune-mediated diseases. 9 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
Shares of US biopharma Rhythm Pharmaceuticals rose 27.4% to $82.96 in early trading today, as it announced positive top-line results from its Phase II trial evaluating bivamelagon (formerly LB54640), an investigational oral melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) agonist, in patients with acquired hypothalamic obesity. 9 July 2025
Biotechnology
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a label update with a new recommended titration dosing schedule for Kisunla (donanemab-azbt), Eli Lilly's once-monthly amyloid-targeting therapy for early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease (AD), including patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and the mild dementia stage of AD, with confirmed amyloid pathology. 9 July 2025
Biotechnology
US clinical-stage biotech ProKidney reported statistically-significant and clinically-meaningful positive top-line results from the full Group 1 modified intent-to-treat (mITT) population of the Phase II REGEN-007 trial evaluating rilparencel in patients with CKD and diabetes. 9 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
US antivirals specialist Gilead Sciences today announced a strategic partnership agreement with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) to supply lenacapavir - Gilead's twice-yearly injectable HIV-1 capsid inhibitor - for the prevention of HIV as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). 9 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have hosted a hybrid workshop on reducing animal testing. 9 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
US pharma giant Merck & Co today revealed it has made a bid to acquire UK-based lung therapy company Verona Pharma, sending the latter’s shares up 20.4% to $104.61 in pre-market activity. 9 July 2025
Biotechnology
Japan’s JCR Pharmaceuticals closed 15% higher after Wednesday’s trading, as it signed a new licensing deal. 9 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
New Jersey, USA-headquartered Champions Oncology, a translational oncology research organization, yesterday announced the full commercial launch of its radiopharmaceutical services platform. 9 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
French biotech Ciloa is joining the race to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, armed with 6.5 million euros ($7.6 million) in public funding and a novel take on an old metabolic target. 9 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
A new analysis from US data analytics firm Phesi has raised concerns about the viability of ongoing Phase III trials in atopic dermatitis (AD), pointing to a rising risk of failure driven by flawed trial design and overreliance on saturated investigator sites. 9 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk has filed for European approval of a higher-dose version of its obesity treatment Wegovy (semaglutide), aiming to expand options for patients who need stronger support for weight loss. 9 July 2025
Biotechnology
Radiopharmaceutical biotech Actithera today announced the close of an oversubscribed $75.5 million Series A financing round. 9 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
Donald Trump has escalated his warnings to the pharmaceutical industry with a pledge to introduce import tariffs as high as 200% on drugs produced outside the USA. The US president said companies would be granted a grace period of up to 18 months before the measure takes effect. 9 July 2025
Biotechnology
US oncology-focused biotech Crescent Biopharma has appointed Jan Pinkas as chief scientific officer (CSO). 8 July 2025
Biotechnology
Debra Barker has been named chief medical officer (CMO) at Centauri Therapeutics, a UK immunotherapy company with a proprietary platform technology applicable across a wide range of therapeutic indications. 8 July 2025
Biotechnology
San Francisco, USA-based biotech Centivax, which is developing durable, universal vaccines, today announced the close of a $45 million Series A led by Steve Jurvetson’s Future Ventures, with participation from NFX, BOLD Capital, Base4, Kendall Capital Partners, Amplify Bio, and existing investors. 8 July 2025
Biotechnology
Diagonal Therapeutics, a US biotech focused on correcting dysregulated signaling with clustering antibodies that address the underlying cause of intractable genetic diseases, has announced the appointment of John Lee as chief medical officer (CMO). 8 July 2025
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