Pipeline Watch is a weekly snapshot of selected late-stage clinical trial events and approvals announced by pharmaceutical and biotech companies at medical and industry conferences, in financial and company presentations, and in company releases and statements.

Both of the first two companies to report second-quarter financials maintained full-year sales guidance. But while Johnson & Johnson’s investors seemed cheered, Novartis’s may have been concerned about familiar issues.

Restructuring Edition: Financial market conditions are improving, but gains have not stopped some companies from cutting costs or shutting down. MEI may wind down if it does not identify another strategic alternative and Aslan has begun to liquidate, while others have cut jobs.

Pipeline Watch is a weekly snapshot of selected late-stage clinical trial events and approvals announced by pharmaceutical and biotech companies at medical and industry conferences, in financial and company presentations, and in company releases and statements.

McKinsey & Company’s senior partner and lead, life sciences practice (Asia), talks to Scrip about innovation niches that could interest Indian firms including the ADC space, using AI to increase confidence in research activities and how India could leverage big pharma’s expanding global capability centres (GCCs) to shape the wider R&D ecosystem.

Autobahn raised $100m in series C venture capital to take its oral, brain-penetrant thyromimetic ABX-002 into Phase II studies in major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder depression.

Flush with cash, the controlling stakeholder of Novo Nordisk’s life sciences investment arm is increasing its financing of other biopharma innovators.

Jeeva’s founder and CEO talks to Scrip about how the firm’s clinical trial management platform does away with the need for numerous point solutions and vendors, enabling sponsors to undertake trials more effectively including in the complex and competitive oncology space.

Lilly and Novo Nordisk were top performers among large-cap pharma stocks, while the stock prices of Bristol Myers and Gilead declined the most.

Six biopharma companies have filed to list their shares on US exchanges so far this year, but the sums they are seeking are small.

Without a mega-merger like 2023’s Pfizer/Seagan takeout, M&A deals grew smaller during the first half of 2024, while volume rose. In alliance deals, H1 2024 activity somewhat mirrored activity from H1 2023.

Keytruda enjoyed its fifth consecutive quarter as the world’s top-selling drug in the first three months of 2024. As Comirnaty and Spikevax fell out of the list, Vertex’s cystic fibrosis pill Trikafta/Kaftrio became one of the top 10 best-selling drugs for the first time.

Pipeline Watch is a weekly snapshot of selected late-stage clinical trial events and approvals announced by pharmaceutical and biotech companies at medical and industry conferences, in financial and company presentations, and in company releases and statements.

The JAK inhibitor cream for hand eczema will serve a large market in Europe and help the Danish dermatology specialist expand its strong position in dermatology. 

Amid deals activity in India, Torrent Pharma executives spelt out their acquisition expectations and licensing strategy while an in-licensed Takeda brand did well in Q1 of FY25. The US growth trajectory is seen determined by five to ten product approvals expected this fiscal

Everything seemed to be aligned for success, but shares in leading Chinese antibody developer RemeGen recently dropped by nearly 40%, reflecting a range of internal and external likely factors.

McKinsey & Company’s senior partner and lead, life sciences practice (Asia), talks to Scrip about innovation niches that could interest Indian firms including the ADC space, using AI to increase confidence in research activities and how India could leverage big pharma’s expanding global capability centres (GCCs) to shape the wider R&D ecosystem.

Beyfortus was a minimal contributor in Sanofi’s second quarter, which beat consensus and prompted an earnings guidance boost, but the RSV antibody’s sales should surge in Q3 and Q4.

In its Q2 earnings call, the biotech expressed optimism about developing VK2735 as a monthly injection, with an oral version moving into Phase II. An EOP2 meeting for its MASH drug is expected in Q4.

The company raised 2024 revenue expectations, driven by the second quarter performance of its Humira successors Skyrizi and Rinvoq.

The UK major has raised its full-year sales and earnings forecast on strong demand in the second quarter for its cancer, rare disease and cardiovascular medicines.

Roche is taking a more hard-nosed approach to portfolio prioritization, and said in its Q2 call that it believes it can move faster with a more slimmed down R&D pipeline.

Sumitomo’s novel AML candidate has shown early clinical promise and been granted US Fast Track status for a form of AML, which looks set to aid the Japanese firm's strategic shift to oncology following recent CNS setbacks. 

For Sage, the mid-stage failure of SAGE-324 in essential tremor is its second setback in a year full of clinical trial readouts. For Biogen, it highlights a lack of later-stage pipeline prospects.