Abivax has had its ups and downs but newly appointed CEO Marc de Garidel tells Scrip he is confident that the French group is onto a winner with its ulcerative colitis drug, obefazimod.

Public Company Edition: J&J’s consumer health spinout Kenvue grossed $3.8bn in its public market debut and Acelyrin raised $540m in an upsized IPO. Also, Seres accessed $250m in new debt for Vowst commercialization while follow-on offerings raised $325m for ImmunoGen and $240m for Morphic. 

MORF-057, addressing the same target as Takeda blockbuster Entyvio, shows efficacy and safety in ulcerative colitis. Various companies have sought an oral competitor to established biologics in UC.

Some biotech leaders say IRA policies don’t feel consequential yet, though small companies could face impacts from R&D and M&A decision making at big pharmas.