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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA), through the Executive Steering Group on Shortages and Safety of Medicinal Products (MSSG), have issued recommendations to address vulnerabilities in the supply chain of anti-D immunoglobulins. 4 July 2025
Indian biosimilars developer Biocon Biologics, a subsidiary of Biocon Ltd has announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization in the European Union (EU) for Vevzuo and Evfraxy biosimilars of denosumab, originated by Amgen. 4 July 2025
The US Food and Drug Administration has granted accelerated approval to sunvozertinib (trade name Zegfrovy) from Dizal (Jiangsu) Pharmaceutical for adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). 3 July 2025
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided an update on the risk of myocarditis after receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, noting the risk is higher in young men. 3 July 2025
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ Lynozyfic (linvoseltamab-gcpt) to treat adult patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) multiple myeloma (MM) who have received at least four prior lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor, an immunomodulatory agent and an anti CD38 monoclonal antibody. 3 July 2025
A federal judge has blocked the US Department of Health and Human Services from moving forward with a major workforce reduction and agency overhaul, finding that the changes may violate federal law and cause lasting disruption. 2 July 2025
US pharma giant Merck & Co today revealed that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted and granted priority review for a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) to update the US product label for Winrevair (sotatercept-csrk) based on the Phase III ZENITH trial. 2 July 2025
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals has won European Commission approval for Amvuttra (vutrisiran) to treat transthyretin amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM), positioning the drug as a likely challenger to entrenched therapies in a market expected to see rapid evolution. 2 July 2025
US biotech Jazz Pharmaceuticals yesterday announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted conditional marketing authorization for Ziihera (zanidatamab), a dual human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted bispecific antibody, with the news edging its shares up 3.1% to $109.44. 2 July 2025
Vertex Pharmaceuticals today announced that the European Commission has granted approval for Alyftrek (deutivacaftor/tezacaftor/vanzacaftor) for the treatment of people with cystic fibrosis (CF) ages six years and older who have at least one non-class I mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. 1 July 2025
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a complete response letter (CRL) for Unicycive Therapeutics’ New Drug Application (NDA) for oxylanthanum carbonate (OLC) to treat hyperphosphatemia in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on dialysis, but still sending the California-based company's share shares nearly 5% higher to $5.00. in pre-market activity. 1 July 2025
A Republican-backed amendment to the sweeping budget proposal championed by US president Donald Trump would sharply reduce Medicaid spending, targeting one of the core features of the Affordable Care Act. 1 July 2025
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is revising the labeling of all extended-release stimulants indicated to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—including certain formulations of amphetamine and methylphenidate—to warn of the risk of weight loss and other adverse reactions in patients younger than six years. 1 July 2025
Swedish biotech Camurus has secured EU marketing authorization for its once-monthly acromegaly therapy, Oczyesa (octreotide), marking a significant step forward in treatment convenience for patients living with the rare endocrine disorder. 1 July 2025
As pressure builds around drug pricing and access, US trade group PhRMA is pushing back against criticism of pharmaceutical patents. In a recent blog post, the organization argued that intellectual property protections are essential to biopharmaceutical innovation and key to sustaining the American economy. 1 July 2025
Chinese biopharma Hutchmed today announced that the New Drug Application (NDA) for the combination of Orpathys (savolitinib) and Tagrisso (osimertinib) has been granted approval by the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). 30 June 2025
Japanese drugmaker Shionogi has filed a supplemental application in Japan to broaden the use of its oral antiviral Xocova (ensitrelvir), aiming to include children as young as six who weigh at least 20 kilograms. 30 June 2025
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the elimination of the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) for currently approved BCMA- and CD19-directed autologous chimeric antigen receptor CAR-T cell immunotherapies. 30 June 2025
China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has approved Innovent Biologics’ mazdutide, a first-in-class dual glucagon (GCG)/glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, for chronic weight management in Chinese adults with overweight or obesity. 30 June 2025