Latest Pharma and Biotech News
Biotechnology
16 July 2025 Eli Lilly’s latest acquisition has electrified the biotech world—and sent a clear message that gene editing is no longer just for rare diseases. The US pharma major is paying $1 billion upfront, with a further $300 million in milestones, to buy Verve Therapeutics, a move that positions it squarely in the race to develop one-and-done therapies for heart disease.
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Pharmaceutical
Sweden’s OncoZenge has announced an amendment to its license and supply agreement with Italian firm Molteni Farmaceutici. 17 July 2025
Biotechnology
Swiss pharma giant Roche has won approval from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for its combination treatment of Columvi (glofitamab) alongside gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GemOx) for adults with relapsed or refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) not otherwise specified who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant. 17 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended Novartis’ Kisqali (ribociclib) as an adjuvant treatment for all eligible populations of HR+/HER2- early breast cancer patients. 17 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
Artificial intelligence has edged past the pilot phase in clinical development. Once a niche add-on, AI is now helping biopharma companies design, recruit, and run trials faster, cheaper, and—crucially—more inclusively. And regulators are starting to pay serious attention. 17 July 2025
Biotechnology
US rare disease meds developer Sarepta Therapeutics late yesterday announced a strategic restructuring plan designed to prioritize high-value, high impact programs, meet its 2027 financial obligations, and support its long-term financial viability. 17 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
Swiss pharma giant Novartis this morning reported second quarter 2025 financial results, showing that net sales were $14.1 billion (+12%, +11% cc), with volume contributing 12 percentage points to growth. This was slightly better than the consensus estimate of $14.02 billion. 17 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
Bayer is giving chief executive Bill Anderson more time to deliver on his ambitious efforts to reshape the German group, extending his contract by three years to March 2029. The move signals strong support from the company’s supervisory board, which voted unanimously in favor of the renewal. 17 July 2025
Biotechnology
UK pharma major GSK has gained US regulatory approval for a new prefilled syringe presentation of its shingles vaccine, Shingrix (zoster vaccine), a move aimed at streamlining administration and boosting immunization coverage. 17 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
Shares in US healthcare conglomerate Johnson & Johnson rose by 6% during Wednesday morning’s trading after the presentation of its second-quarter financial results and latest guidance for 2025. 16 July 2025
Biotechnology
UK pharma major GSK is seeking US approval for Blenrep (belantamab mafodotin) in two multiple myeloma indications. 16 July 2025
Biotechnology
Canada and USA-based oncology biotech Repare Therapeutics has entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with privately-held Swiss firm Debiopharm International to establish tomorrow’s standards of care to cure cancer and infectious diseases, for lunresertib, a first-in-class precision oncology PKMYT1 inhibitor. 16 July 2025
Biotechnology
The Division of Hepatology and Nutrition of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has lifted the partial clinical hold on the completed PORTOLA Phase IIa clinical trial evaluating zetomipzomib, a first-in-class selective immunoproteasome inhibitor, in patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), California, USA-based drug developer Kezar Life Sciences announced yesterday. 16 July 2025
Biotechnology
Eli Lilly’s latest acquisition has electrified the biotech world—and sent a clear message that gene editing is no longer just for rare diseases. The US pharma major is paying $1 billion upfront, with a further $300 million in milestones, to buy Verve Therapeutics, a move that positions it squarely in the race to develop one-and-done therapies for heart disease. 16 July 2025
Generics
The number of patent disputes in the Russian pharmaceutical industry has almost doubled in the last several years, while these figures continue to grow these days, The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent reports. 16 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
Alnylam has secured expanded UK regulatory approval for Amvuttra (vutrisiran), broadening its indication to include treatment of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) in adults. 16 July 2025
Biotechnology
Bharatt Chowrira has stepped down from his role as chief executive (CEO) and board member at US biopharma PureTech Health. 16 July 2025
Biotechnology
US pharma major AstraZeneca today released high-level results from the Cardiac Amyloid Reaching for Extended Survival (CARES) Phase III clinical program showed that anselamimab, a light chain depleter antibody, did not achieve statistical significance for the primary endpoint compared to placebo in patients with Mayo stages IIIa and IIIb light chain (AL) amyloidosis. 16 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
The UK government’s new life sciences plan has been met with skepticism by the pharmaceutical industry, which says the strategy will fall flat unless there is a serious shift in the way new medicines are funded and valued. 16 July 2025
Biotechnology
The US regulator has launched a new national initiative to help Medicaid programs fund gene therapies for sickle cell disease, under an agreement aimed at broadening access while linking payments to real-world treatment results. 16 July 2025
Biotechnology
Japanese drugmaker JCR Pharmaceuticals has entered into a joint collaboration, option and license agreement with US biotech Acumen Pharmaceuticals to develop a novel therapeutic candidate for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), enabled by JCR’s proprietary blood-brain barrier (BBB)-penetrating technology platform, J-Brain Cargo 16 July 2025
All news
Pharmaceutical
Sweden’s OncoZenge has announced an amendment to its license and supply agreement with Italian firm Molteni Farmaceutici. 17 July 2025
Biotechnology
Swiss pharma giant Roche has won approval from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for its combination treatment of Columvi (glofitamab) alongside gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GemOx) for adults with relapsed or refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) not otherwise specified who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant. 17 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended Novartis’ Kisqali (ribociclib) as an adjuvant treatment for all eligible populations of HR+/HER2- early breast cancer patients. 17 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
Artificial intelligence has edged past the pilot phase in clinical development. Once a niche add-on, AI is now helping biopharma companies design, recruit, and run trials faster, cheaper, and—crucially—more inclusively. And regulators are starting to pay serious attention. 17 July 2025
Biotechnology
US rare disease meds developer Sarepta Therapeutics late yesterday announced a strategic restructuring plan designed to prioritize high-value, high impact programs, meet its 2027 financial obligations, and support its long-term financial viability. 17 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
Swiss pharma giant Novartis this morning reported second quarter 2025 financial results, showing that net sales were $14.1 billion (+12%, +11% cc), with volume contributing 12 percentage points to growth. This was slightly better than the consensus estimate of $14.02 billion. 17 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
Bayer is giving chief executive Bill Anderson more time to deliver on his ambitious efforts to reshape the German group, extending his contract by three years to March 2029. The move signals strong support from the company’s supervisory board, which voted unanimously in favor of the renewal. 17 July 2025
Biotechnology
UK pharma major GSK has gained US regulatory approval for a new prefilled syringe presentation of its shingles vaccine, Shingrix (zoster vaccine), a move aimed at streamlining administration and boosting immunization coverage. 17 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
Shares in US healthcare conglomerate Johnson & Johnson rose by 6% during Wednesday morning’s trading after the presentation of its second-quarter financial results and latest guidance for 2025. 16 July 2025
Biotechnology
UK pharma major GSK is seeking US approval for Blenrep (belantamab mafodotin) in two multiple myeloma indications. 16 July 2025
Biotechnology
Canada and USA-based oncology biotech Repare Therapeutics has entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with privately-held Swiss firm Debiopharm International to establish tomorrow’s standards of care to cure cancer and infectious diseases, for lunresertib, a first-in-class precision oncology PKMYT1 inhibitor. 16 July 2025
Biotechnology
The Division of Hepatology and Nutrition of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has lifted the partial clinical hold on the completed PORTOLA Phase IIa clinical trial evaluating zetomipzomib, a first-in-class selective immunoproteasome inhibitor, in patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), California, USA-based drug developer Kezar Life Sciences announced yesterday. 16 July 2025
Biotechnology
Eli Lilly’s latest acquisition has electrified the biotech world—and sent a clear message that gene editing is no longer just for rare diseases. The US pharma major is paying $1 billion upfront, with a further $300 million in milestones, to buy Verve Therapeutics, a move that positions it squarely in the race to develop one-and-done therapies for heart disease. 16 July 2025
Generics
The number of patent disputes in the Russian pharmaceutical industry has almost doubled in the last several years, while these figures continue to grow these days, The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent reports. 16 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
Alnylam has secured expanded UK regulatory approval for Amvuttra (vutrisiran), broadening its indication to include treatment of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) in adults. 16 July 2025
Biotechnology
Bharatt Chowrira has stepped down from his role as chief executive (CEO) and board member at US biopharma PureTech Health. 16 July 2025
Biotechnology
US pharma major AstraZeneca today released high-level results from the Cardiac Amyloid Reaching for Extended Survival (CARES) Phase III clinical program showed that anselamimab, a light chain depleter antibody, did not achieve statistical significance for the primary endpoint compared to placebo in patients with Mayo stages IIIa and IIIb light chain (AL) amyloidosis. 16 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
The UK government’s new life sciences plan has been met with skepticism by the pharmaceutical industry, which says the strategy will fall flat unless there is a serious shift in the way new medicines are funded and valued. 16 July 2025
Biotechnology
The US regulator has launched a new national initiative to help Medicaid programs fund gene therapies for sickle cell disease, under an agreement aimed at broadening access while linking payments to real-world treatment results. 16 July 2025
Biotechnology
Japanese drugmaker JCR Pharmaceuticals has entered into a joint collaboration, option and license agreement with US biotech Acumen Pharmaceuticals to develop a novel therapeutic candidate for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), enabled by JCR’s proprietary blood-brain barrier (BBB)-penetrating technology platform, J-Brain Cargo 16 July 2025
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