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Pharmaceutical
Notable research news last week included Sarepta Therapeutics reporting another death associated with a trial of its Duchenne muscular dystrophy drug Elevidys. On the M&A front, US pharma major Eli Lilly last Tuesday announced it is to acquire Verve Therapeutics for up to $1.3 billion, along with its VERVE-102. Regulatory news saw the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announce a new voucher program aimed at enhancing the health interests of Americans. The FDA also approved Incyte’s Monjuvi for relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (LF). 22 June 2025
Biotechnology
The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved Hetronifly (serplulimab) to treat adults with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC), which has not previously been treated, and has spread within the lungs or to other parts of the body. 21 June 2025
Pharmaceutical
Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) has accepted UK pharma major GSK’s regulatory application to expand the use of its adjuvanted recombinant respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine to include adults aged 18 to 49 years at increased risk of severe RSV disease. 20 June 2025
Pharmaceutical
The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) human medicines committee (CHMP) recommended five novel medicines for approval at its June 2025 meeting. 20 June 2025
Biotechnology
Further expanding the indications for French pharma major Sanofi’s mega-blockbuster Dupixent (dupilumab), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the drug for the treatment of adult patients with bullous pemphigoid (BP). 20 June 2025
Pharmaceutical
Privately-held UK firm Cycle Pharmaceuticals announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Harliku (nitisinone) tablets for the reduction of urine homogentisic acid (HGA) in adult patients with alkaptonuria (AKU). 20 June 2025
Pharmaceutical
Japanese drugmaker Mochida Pharmaceutical announced that Thien Thao Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, a partner of Meiji, has obtained approval to import and market Epadel S, a highly purified eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) ethyl ester formulation sold by Mochida in Japan, for the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia in Vietnam. 20 June 2025
Pharmaceutical
A reshaped agenda for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee meeting on June 25–26 signals a departure from the initial vaccine slate. New appointees named by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr dismantled the previous committee structure two days after dismissing all 17 members. 20 June 2025
Pharmaceutical
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Gilead Sciences Yeztugo (lenacapavir) - the company’s injectable HIV-1 capsid inhibitor - as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV in adults and adolescents weighing at least 35kg. 19 June 2025
Biotechnology
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved US biotech Incyte’s Monjuvi (tafasitamab-cxix) with lenalidomide and rituximab for adults with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL). 19 June 2025
Biotechnology
The biopharmaceutical industry is grappling with a complex mid-year outlook in 2025, as accelerating innovation collides with mounting policy and market uncertainty. From US drug pricing reforms to global tariff tensions, sentiment has taken a hit - reflected in a 16% drop in industry optimism. 19 June 2025
Biotechnology
EY today released its 35th annual Biotech Beyond Borders Report. This finds that the biopharma industry is currently at an inflection point – grappling with a unique environment of macroeconomic uncertainty and constrained access to capital, including high interest rates, inflation, shifting regulatory policies and tariff turmoil. 18 June 2025
Pharmaceutical
The US Food and Drug Administration has announced the Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher (CNPV) program aimed at enhancing the health interests of Americans. 18 June 2025
Biotechnology
US biotech Dyne Therapeutics has revised its regulatory approach for DYNE-101, a treatment in development for myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), after discussions with the American medicines regulator. 18 June 2025
Pharmaceutical
A controversial proposal to change the Inflation Reduction Act’s pricing framework for rare disease drugs has been dropped from the Senate’s reconciliation package, marking a win for patient advocacy groups that lobbied against it. The ORPHAN Cures Act, which sought to shield some rare disease drugs from Medicare price talks, was notably absent from the text released this week by the Senate Finance Committee. 18 June 2025
Generics
Medicines for Europe, a manufacturers of generic and biosimilar trade group, today presented five trade policy recommendations to strengthen global access to medicines and enhance the competitiveness of the off-patent pharmaceutical sector in a seminar with the European Commission and Member States representatives. 17 June 2025
Biotechnology
Australian biotech CSL has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Andembry (garadacimab-gxii), the only treatment targeting factor XIIa for prophylactic use to prevent attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE) in patients aged 12 years and older. 17 June 2025
Pharmaceutical
French drug developer Averoa today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for Xoanacyl (ferric citrate coordination complex). 16 June 2025
Pharmaceutical
China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) held a meeting last week to conduct the 2024 annual review of the quality management system (QMS) in vaccine regulation and pharmaceutical manufacturing inspection. 16 June 2025
Biotechnology
Notable research news last week included US biopharma Avidity Biosciences announcing a positive update on its muscular dystrophy candidate delpacibart braxlosiran (del-brax), and Dutch firm NewAmsterdam released new Phase III on its investigational Alzheimer’s drug obicetrapib. US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr announced he has dismissed an independent panel of vaccine experts in order to restore trust in vaccines. Also of note, Merck & Co gained US food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Enflonsia for the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). 15 June 2025
Biotechnology
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval of 127 innovator and biosimilar drugs in 2024, a notable decrease from the 149 approvals recorded in 2023. 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
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
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
Biotechnology
UK pharma major GSK is seeking US approval for Blenrep (belantamab mafodotin) in two multiple myeloma indications. 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
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
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
Biosimilars
The US Food and Drug Administration approved, the first rapid-acting interchangeable biosimilar product, Kirsty (insulin aspart-xjhz, as a 3 mL single-patient-use prefilled pen and 10 mL multiple-dose vial. Kirsty is biosimilar to and interchangeable with Novolog (insulin aspart), from Denmark’s Novo Nordisk. 16 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
China-based Jiangsu Hengrui Pharma and US start-up Kailera Therapeutics, which is advancing a broad pipeline of next-generation therapies for the treatment of obesity, today announced positive top-line data from Hengrui’s Phase III clinical trial (HRS9531-301) of once-weekly subcutaneous injection of HRS9531, a novel dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist, in individuals living with obesity or overweight in China. 15 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has today approved Ekterly (sebetralstat) 0for the treatment of hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks in adults and adolescents aged 12 years and older. 15 July 2025
Biotechnology
A quiet shift with potentially big implications for cancer drug access is underway in the UK. In June, the country’s health technology assessor, NICE, recommended GSK’s Blenrep (belantamab mafodotin) in multiple myeloma. 14 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
Germany’s Bayer has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Kerendia (finerenone) to treat patients with heart failure (HF) with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥40%, following the agency’s Priority Review of its supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA). 14 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has authorized the use of Bayer's Lynkuet (elinzanetant) for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms (VMS) associated with menopause. 14 July 2025
Generics
Even as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has unveiled a strategic expansion of its oversight mechanisms for foreign manufacturing facilities supplying the American market, aiming to bolster product safety and ensure consistent quality for US consumers, the intensified oversight presents significant long-term benefits for the Indian pharmaceutical sector as a whole, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent. 14 July 2025
Biosimilars
South Korea’s Samsung Bioepis today published a whitepaper titled ‘Solving the Biosimilar Void in Europe’ that proposes policy recommendations to fully recognize the value of biosimilars and ensure a more sustainable market in Europe. 14 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
US biotech Crinetics Pharmaceuticals has released new data on its investigational oral therapy Palsonify (paltusotine), supporting its potential as a convenient alternative to monthly injections for patients with acromegaly. 14 July 2025
Biotechnology
Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical has been dealt a regulatory setback, as the American medicines regulator has declined to approve its gene therapy UX111 (formerly ABO-102) for Sanfilippo syndrome type A. The decision, delivered in a complete response letter, will delay any potential approval until at least 2026. 14 July 2025
Biotechnology
US biotech Capricor Therapeutics today revealed receipt of a Complete Response Letter (CRL) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding its Biologics License Application (BLA) for deramiocel, the company’s lead cell therapy candidate for the treatment of cardiomyopathy associated with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). 11 July 2025
Pharmaceutical
At its July meeting, the European Medicines Agency’s pharmacovigilance committee (PRAC) completed its review of French specialty vaccine maker Valneva Ixchiq (chikungunya virus vaccine, a live attenuated chikungunya vaccine, following reports of serious side effects. 11 July 2025
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