Novo Nordisk’s metabolic juggernaut semaglutide is known to work in chronic kidney disease – but the group appears to want a back-up plan. 

Shanghai-based Ark Biosciences has expanded its pipeline from the RSV-targeting drug ziresovir, licensed from Roche, to pediatric and fibrosis treatments, where there are largely untapped opportunities in China. In a strategy shift, the company is betting on the domestic market instead of going global.

Plus deals involving ASLAN/Zenyaku Kogyo, AstraZeneca/Cholsegen, Astellas/Cullgen, AbCellera/Confo, Blue Water/WraSer, Solve/Cereius, Prime Medicine/Cimeio, Evox/Codiak, PharmaTher/Vitruvias and Adverum/Ray.

Private Company Edition: Two companies raised multiple hundreds of millions of dollars each helping to keep the number of $100m-plus venture capital mega-rounds on the rise in May. Also, Ascend raised $132.5m to make gene and cell therapies, and Nido emerged with $109m for neurological diseases.