The week in pharma: action, reaction and insight – week to October 10

By Barbara Obstoj-Cardwell

Significant research news last week included French biotech Abivax releasing positive new Phase III data on obefazimod for ulcerative colitis. On the regulatory front, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved German pharma major Boehringer Ingelheim’s Jascayd, making it the first to gain approval for a new idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis treatment in over decade. M&A news saw Denmark’s Novo Nordisk announce plans to expand its metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) portfolio with the buy of US biotech Akero Therapeutics along with its investigational drug efruxifermin for $4.7 billion, as well as US pharma major Bristol Myers Squibb enter a deal worth around $1.5 billion to acquire Orbital Therapeutics, gaining access to its lead asset OTX-201 for autoimmune diseases.

Abivax’ compelling ABTECT subgroup data supports use across all lines