24 July 2025 Hospitals are rationing cancer treatments. Pharmacies are scrambling to fill routine antibiotic prescriptions. And across the USA, patients are facing growing delays, substitutions, or outright denials of essential medicines, not because the drugs don’t exist, but because the supply chains behind them have buckled.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified Bayer that it has extended the review period for the New Drug Application (NDA) for elinzanetant, the first neurokinin 1 and neurokinin 3 receptor antagonist for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms (VMS; also known as hot flashes) due to menopause. 26 July 2025
US pharma major Bristol Myers Squibb revealed it has appointed Dr Cristian Massacesi as executive vice president, chief medical officer and head of development, effective August 1, 2025. 26 July 2025
French diabetes and obesity specialist Adocia was trading 45% higher late Friday following its partner Tonghua Dongbao’s release of positive topline results from the Phase III trial of BioChaperone Lispro (THDB0206 injection), a novel ultra-rapid insulin formulation. 25 July 2025
The European Medicines’ (EMA) human medicines committee (CHMP) has recommended seven novel medicines for approval at its July 2025 meeting. 25 July 2025
Semaglutide, a GLP-1R agonist developed by Denmark’s Novo Nordisk as Ozempic, initially for type 2 diabetes, and marketed under the trade name Wegovy for obesity, is emerging as a promising candidate for neurological conditions. 25 July 2025
The Trump administration has asked the US Supreme Court to allow the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to resume canceling hundreds of research grants supporting work on health equity, racial disparities, and other diversity-related public health initiatives. 25 July 2025
Swiss pharma major Novartis has entered into an exclusive option and license deal with Matchpoint Therapeutics to develop oral covalent inhibitors for inflammatory diseases, the companies said on July 24. The privately held biotech could receive as much as $1 billion in total payments if milestones are met. 25 July 2025
Privately-held Danish dermatology specialist LEO Pharma today revealed that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Anzupgo (delgocitinib) cream (20 mg/g) for the topical treatment of moderate-to-severe chronic hand eczema (CHE) in adults who have had an inadequate response to, or for whom topical corticosteroids are not advisable. 24 July 2025
The number of new pharmaceutical companies being set up in Russia is steadily declining due to sanctions and the ever-growing isolation of the country in the international arena, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent. 24 July 2025
China remains the most popular country for clinical trials outside North America and Europe in the second quarter (Q2) of 2025, according to a report by the data and analytics company GlobalData. 24 July 2025
Swiss pharma giant Roche this morning released financial results for the first half of 2025, showing that sales grew 7% (+4% in Swiss francs) to 30.9 billion francs ($35.1 billion) due to strong demand for pharmaceutical products. Sales were in line with Visible Alpha consensus of 30.80 billion francs. 24 July 2025
Russian nano giant Rusnano is cutting its pharmaceutical business by beginning a search for buyers for its major pharmaceutical asset – the local drugmaker Novamedica, The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent reports 23 July 2025
Privately-held Spanish CNS specialist Minoryx Therapeutics and Germany’s Neuraxpharm Group today announced that the marketing authorization application (MAA) for Minoryx’ lead candidate Nezglyal (leriglitazone) has been submitted to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the treatment of pediatric and adult male patients with cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (cALD). 23 July 2025
Swiss contract development and manufacturing group Lonza posted a 19% rise in revenue at constant currencies to 3.6 billion Swiss francs ($4.5 billion) for the first half of 2025, driven by strong demand across its core CDMO operations. Core earnings per share rose 7% to 7.52 francs ($9.01). 23 July 2025
Neuraxpharm Group, a privately-held German specialty pharma focused on central nervous system (CNS) disorders, today announced the launch of a new affiliate, Neuraxpharm Australia, led by newly appointed head of commercial, Avendran Naidu, as the company continues to expand globally. 22 July 2025
Ireland-based Alkermes has announced positive topline results from the randomized double-blind treatment period of the Vibrance-1 Phase II study evaluating alixorexton in patients with narcolepsy type 1 (NT1). 22 July 2025
Swiss biotech iOnctura has appointed Steven Sciuto as chief financial officer and Michelle Tsai as chief operating officer, marking a leadership shift as the company moves deeper into Phase II trials for its lead cancer candidate, roginolisib (IOA-244). 2 June 2025
UK health technology assessor the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published updated Final Draft Guidance recommending Forxiga (dapagliflozin) as an option to treat chronic kidney disease in adults, AstraZeneca announced today. 30 May 2025
Japanese drugmaker Sumitomo Pharma and Denmark’s Novo Nordisk have entered into a co-promotion agreement in Japan for Ozempic (semaglutide) Subcutaneous Injection 2mg, a once-weekly subcutaneous GLP-1 receptor agonist indicated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. 30 May 2025
A typical advertisement for a prescription drug airs on television. The visuals are lively and upbeat; the people are smiling and confident. But the viewer walks away with no clear understanding of what the drug treats. Within moments, the ad is forgotten. 30 May 2025
Industry stakeholders have urged the European Medicines Agency to sharpen its guidance on decentralized clinical trials, calling for more practical detail in a key international framework on good clinical practice. 30 May 2025
Philadelphia-based biotech Vivodyne has raised $40 million in series A funding to advance its fully robotic, AI-powered platform that tests drug candidates on lab-grown human tissues. 30 May 2025
Swiss pharma giant Roche today announced new, 96-week data for fenebrutinib demonstrating that patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) maintained no disability progression and low levels of disease activity for up to two years. 30 May 2025
Swiss eye care specialist Alcon yesterday revealed the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tryptyr (acoltremon ophthalmic solution) 0.003%, formerly known as AR-15512.The new pushed the firm’s shares up 2.5% to 72.32 francs this morning. 30 May 2025
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has identified a potential path forward for elamipretide for the treatment of Barth syndrome, Stealth BioTherapeutics revealed today. 29 May 2025
Clinigen has entered a new phase of collaboration with Japanese drugmaker Shionogi, signing a licensing agreement for cefiderocol that sets the stage for potential market entry in Australia and New Zealand. 29 May 2025
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has said he may prohibit researchers at government institutions from submitting their work to major medical journals, raising fresh tensions between the federal agency and the broader scientific community. 29 May 2025
US biotech Hillstar Bio has appointed Maude Tessier as chief operating officer and Shiva Krupa as vice president of program management, reinforcing its leadership bench ahead of a planned clinical entry for its lead autoimmune program in 2026. 29 May 2025
Spero Therapeutics is making headlines as its stock experienced a remarkable 244% surge to $2.35 yesterday, on news of positive clinical trial results. 29 May 2025
Japan’s Intellectual Property High Court has ordered Sawai Pharmaceutical and Fuso Pharmaceutical Industries to pay a total of over 20 billion yen ($138.5 million) in damages for infringing the patent of Toray Industries’ pruritus drug Remitch OD tablets (nalfurafine). 29 May 2025
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly evolved from a promising technology to a core enabler of innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. Today, AI is estimated to generate between $350 billion and $410 billion in annual value for pharmaceutical companies. 29 May 2025
Ukraine is facing a serious shortage of drugs due to the decision of the state to limit pharmacy markups and banned marketing agreements between pharmacies and manufacturers, according to the latest reports on Ukrainian media. 29 May 2025
Germany’s Merck KGaA today announced the presentation of detailed positive results from Part 1 of the global Phase III MANEUVER trial evaluating pimicotinib, a potentially best-in-class investigational colony stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF-1R) inhibitor in development by Abbisko Therapeutics, in the treatment of patients with tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT). 28 May 2025
US biotech GRIN Therapeutics has secured $140 million in Series D funding and signed a licensing deal with Italy's Angelini Pharma that could bring in more than $500 million in future payments tied to its lead investigational therapy, radiprodil. 28 May 2025
New York-based neurosciences company Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals yesterday announced Phase IIa results for GM-2505, a novel, rapid-acting 5-HT2A receptor agonist and 5-HT releaser in development for the treatment of patients with moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder (MDD). 28 May 2025
Leading healthcare solutions company Zuellig Pharma has announced that Mounjaro (tirzepatide), Eli Lilly’s blockbuster diabetes and obesity drug, will be launched in Thailand at the end of May 2025. 27 May 2025