The week in pharma: action, reaction and insight – week to May 29, 2026

31 May 2026

By Barbara Obstoj-Cardwell. Editor

Among news of note last week, Eli Lilly impressed with early-stage data for its investigational cholesterol treatment VERVE-102. The US pharma giant also continued its M&A spending spree, announcing the acquisitions of Curevo, LimmaTech and Vaccine Company for a total of around $3.8 billion. US antiviral specialist Gilead Sciences gained US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its hepatitis delta virus candidate Hepcludex. Pfizer entered into a cancer related licensing deal with Innovent, which could earn the Chinese company around $10 billion.

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