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Metsera has become the obesity drug market's hottest ticket. The New York-based biotech is at the centre of a bidding war between Novo Nordisk and Pfizer, both vying for access to its pipeline of experimental treatments as competition intensifies in the booming $150 billion weight-loss drug market. Metsera’s lead candidate, MET-097i, is a once-monthly GLP-1 injectable. Unlike Novo's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound, which are both weekly shots, it works by selectively binding to a protein pathway linked to weight loss and insulin release, potentially reducing side effects and dosing frequency. PROMISING CANDIDATES IN THE PIPELINE Last month, data from a mid-stage study showed the highest dose of the drug helped patients lose an average of up to 14.1% of their body weight. Another early-stage candidate is MET 233i, a long-acting drug that targets the pancreatic hormone amylin which is co-secreted with insulin. Analysts at Leerink estimate the drugs could be worth more than $5 billion in peak annual sales. Founded in 2022 by Population Health Partners and ARCH Venture Partners, the biotech venture giant led by Bob Nelsen, Metsera has drawn deep-pocketed backers including Google-parent Alphabet, which has a 5% stake. Nelsen's ARCH is the top shareholder with a 25% stake. Clive Meanwell, one of the Population...

Swiss drugmaker Novartis (NOVN.S), opens new tab on Sunday said it agreed to acquire U.S. biotech firm Avidity Biosciences for about $12 billion in cash, as the company looks to bolster its portfolio of treatments for rare muscle disorders. As per the terms of the deal, Avidity stockholders will receive $72 per share in cash, representing a premium of 46% to the company's closing on Friday. Bloomberg News reported on the deal earlier, citing a person familiar with the matter. Novartis has been proactively striking deals this year to address the impending patent cliff for some of its blockbuster drugs, including Entresto for heart failure, Xolair for asthma and Cosentyx for autoimmune diseases. Under the terms of the deal, Avidity will separate its early-stage precision cardiology programs into a new company called Spinco, which is expected to be a publicly traded company, Avidity said in a separate release. RARE DISEASES With this acquisition, Novartis is expanding into areas with limited treatment options, while strengthening its presence in the rare disease landscape. San Diego, California-based Avidity, a clinical-stage company, is developing treatments for various muscle disorders and advancing several first-in-class drug candidates. Its lead drug, Del-zota, is in early-to-mid-stage development as a potential treatment for a rare...

With another quarter of growth in the books, Swiss CDMO Lonza is continuing to regain its forward momentum as it seeks to leave the post-COVID doldrums behind. In a "qualitative update" Thursday, Lonza noted that it inked a number of "large" contracts in 2025's third quarter, including a “significant long-term commercial supply agreement” at its recently acquired facility in Vacaville, California. The company expects sales in the second half of the year to outpace those from the first and reiterated its annual revenue guidance, projecting growth between 20% and 21% for all of 2025. While Lonza didn't share detailed sales figures in the update, the company is crediting its recent acceleration in large part to its Vacaville biologics manufacturing site, which it gained last year in a $1.2 billion purchase from Roche. Upon signing the deal, Lonza said it would invest 500 million Swiss francs (at the time worth $561 million) to expand the plant, which handles commercial- and clinical-stage manufacturing. The site is among the largest biologics facilities in the world, with a staff of more than 750. Lonza touted "strong momentum" for its Integrated Biologics unit in the third quarter, noting that it's seeing “continuing robust demand for large-scale mammalian assets" and...

Eli Lilly said on Friday it would acquire gene therapy developer Adverum Biotechnologies in a deal valued at up to $261.7 million, aiming to strengthen its pipeline with an experimental eye disease treatment. The deal will give Lilly access to Adverum’s gene therapy candidate, Ixo-vec, and underscores the U.S. drugmaker’s focus on such treatments. Lilly has offered $3.56 for each share of Adverum held, totaling about $74.7 million in cash. Shareholders may also get up to $8.91 per share in milestone payments, contingent on U.S. approval of Ixo-vec within seven years and achieving more than $1 billion in annual global sales within 10 years of deal close. This brings the total potential payout to $12.47 per share. Adverum shares closed at $4.18 on Thursday. They rose 7.7% to $4.5 in early trading. Ixo-vec is being studied in a late-stage trial as a one-time eye injection for wet age-related macular degeneration, or wAMD. The condition is caused by the growth of abnormal blood vessels at the back of the eye, leading to damage and scarring in the area responsible for central vision. “Ixo-vec has the potential to transform wAMD treatment from a paradigm of chronic care with repeated intravitreal injections to a convenient one-time therapy,” said Andrew...

Eli Lilly signed an agreement with Cipla, allowing the Indian drugmaker to sell its blockbuster weight-loss drug under a separate brand in the country, the companies said on Thursday. Under the agreement, Lilly will manufacture the drug and Cipla will market it under the brand name Yurpeak, the drugmakers said. Yurpeak will be available as a once-weekly pre-filled injector pen, same as Lilly's Mounjaro Kwikpen, allowing healthcare providers to personalise treatment plans to individual patient needs. The medication will be available in six dose strengths - 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg and 15 mg and will be priced the same as Mounjaro. Lilly began selling Mounjaro in India in late March for diabetes and obesity in 2.5 mg and 5 mg vials, before getting India drug regulator's approval for the Kwikpen device in June. The drug's sales more than doubled within months of its launch. Tirzepatide belongs to a class of therapies known as GLP-1 receptor agonists that help control blood sugar and slow digestion, making people feel fuller for longer.

Eli Lilly announced on Friday safety and efficacy results from two separate late-stage studies testing its approved drugs for alopecia and eczema. The company was testing baricitinib, sold under the brand name Olumiant, in 257 adolescent patients with severe alopecia areata or patchy hair loss. In the trial, a 4 milligram dose of baricitinib helped improve hair regrowth in more than 50% of adolescents after one year of treatment. Successful regrowth was also observed with a 2 milligram dose, the company said, adding that the safety profile of baricitinib remained consistent with previous reports. In another trial, Lilly was testing Ebglyss, chemically known as lebrikizumab, in 103 patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, a chronic skin condition commonly known as eczema. The company said lebrikizumab dosed every eight or four weeks provided long-lasting response. Lilly said it has submitted the data from the studies to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a potential label update. Ebglyss is an approved injectable medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years and older with moderate-to-severe eczema who cannot use topical therapies. Olumiant is approved to treat adults with severe alopecia areata and adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis, if prior treatment did not work.

LONDON (Reuters) -Sanofi reported stronger than expected third-quarter profit on Friday, boosted by demand for blockbuster asthma drug Dupixent, even as the French drugmaker flagged lower vaccination rates partly due to a "negative buzz" around vaccines. Sales of Sanofi's flu and COVID-19 vaccines dropped 16.8%, hit by pricing pressure in Germany and lower vaccination rates in the early U.S. season. Rates declined globally, in part due to a post-COVID fatigue. "There might be a little bit of negative feeling about vaccines overall," Sanofi's chief financial officer François-Xavier Roger said after the results. "A little bit of negative buzz around vaccines." In the U.S., health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr has taken aim at vaccines, cutting funding for research and ousting the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which makes vaccine recommendations. Roger said vaccines are key to prevent disease and as it was the beginning of flu season in the Northern Hemisphere it was difficult to predict future sales growth. The company's overall sales in the U.S. were up 11.1% at 6.84 billion euros, as other medicines offset vaccine weakness. Total global vaccines sales in the quarter were 3.36 billion euros ($3.92 billion), in line with analyst expectations. Sanofi's shares rose nearly...

Biogen said on Friday it has gained global rights to privately held Vanqua Bio's experimental drug for up to $1.06 billion to expand its pipeline of immunology drugs. The oral drug targets a protein involved in various inflammatory disorders and is currently in preclinical testing, the drugmaker said. Biogen has been expanding into immunology and rare disease medicines through acquisitions and partnerships to drive revenue growth as sales continue to dwindle for its older multiple sclerosis drugs due to rising competition. Last year, the drugmaker agreed to buy privately held Human Immunology Biosciences for up to $1.8 billion to gain access to its experimental drug being tested for rare immune-related conditions. "This agreement strengthens Biogen's immunology strategy by advancing a proven immune mechanism with the potential to address a broad range of inflammatory disorders with high unmet need," the company said. Under the agreement, Vanqua will receive an upfront payment of $70 million and is eligible to receive up to $990 million upon completion of certain development, regulatory and commercial milestones. Biogen will lead all future development, manufacturing and commercialization efforts for the candidate. The drugmaker said it expects to file a human trial application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2027.

Daewoong Pharmaceutical said on October 17 that it met with Saudi Arabian government officials to discuss a range of cooperation plans for the biopharmaceutical industry. The delegation from Saudi Arabia visited Daewoong’s Seoul Samsung-dong headquarters, including Deputy Minister Khalid Al-Buraikan of the Ministry of Health and Sara Aref, Director of Strategic Cooperation. During the meeting, both sides shared assessments of Saudi Arabia’s pharmaceutical and biotech sectors and explored potential partnerships leveraging Daewoong’s new drug development capabilities and global market experience. Representatives from South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute also attended to discuss bilateral industry collaboration measures. Saudi Arabia, the largest pharmaceutical market in the Middle East with an estimated value of about $13 billion, is projected to grow to roughly $19 billion by 2030. The Saudi government is prioritizing expansion of biomanufacturing infrastructure and pharmaceutical self-sufficiency as part of its national strategy. Daewoong has already launched its high purity botulinum toxin product Nabota in the Saudi market in January and is pursuing entry for other products such as the gastroesophageal reflux disease treatment Pexuclu and the diabetes therapy Envlo. Discussions with Saudi officials covered a broad spectrum of cooperation beyond product launches, including local...

The chair of Wegovy maker Novo Nordisk and six other independent board members will step down next month after a dispute over strategy with the drugmaker's controlling shareholder, the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The company said on Tuesday that Helge Lund and the other independent directors would step down at an extraordinary shareholder meeting on November 14. The Foundation said it would propose Lars Rebien Sorensen, a former Novo CEO and current chair of the Foundation, as temporary chairman of the drugmaker for two to three years. Novo ousted CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen in May over concerns that the company is losing its first-mover advantage in the highly competitive obesity drug market. His replacement has launched a restructuring drive, including 9,000 job cuts. "Given the rapidly changing environment in which Novo Nordisk operates, we believe it is in the best interest of the company and its shareholders to carry out a board renewal as soon as possible, rather than waiting until the annual general meeting in March next year," Sorensen said in a statement. In a separate statement, Lund said it had "not been possible to reach a common understanding" with the Foundation. "The Board proposed a renewal focusing on the addition of select, new competencies...