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China's Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals said on Monday it has agreed to license the global rights of its HRS-9821 drug and 11 other programmes to GlaxoSmithKline Intellectual Property (GSK) for $500 million upfront. The Chinese pharma group said, opens new tab it could earn up to $12 billion in milestone payments if all options are exercised and targets are met. HRS-9821 is being developed to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), while the other projects are in early development across areas such as oncology, respiratory, immunology, and inflammation. Shanghai shares of Jiangsu Hengrui climbed 6.6% and its Hong Kong-listed stock jumped 8.5%, outperforming the blue-chip CSI 300 Index's (.CSI300), opens new tab 0.1% slip and the Hang Seng Index's (.HSI), opens new tab 0.3% gain.

The European Union's drug regulator has recommended approval of Moderna's (MRNA.O), opens new tab updated formulation of COVID-19 shot Spikevax, the vaccine maker said on Friday. The updated shot targets the LP.8.1 variant, part of the JN.1 lineage, to prevent COVID-19 in individuals six months of age and older, Moderna said. It expects to make the mRNA-based shot available for the 2025-26 vaccination season, pending a European Commission approval. Any recommendation by the European Medicines Agency's human medicines committee has to be formally approved by the EC, which usually follows the regulator's decision. Moderna had filed a marketing application for the review of its updated vaccine with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in May.

Swiss drugmaker Roche (ROG.S), opens new tab reported better than expected first-half operating profit on Thursday, driven by strong sales of breast cancer and asthma treatments. Operating profit was up 6% at 12 billion Swiss francs ($15.15 billion), above analyst forecasts for around 11.7 billion, driven by higher sales and cost management, it said. Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here. Roche added that the appreciation of the franc against the U.S. dollar had an adverse impact. In currency-adjusted terms, profit was up 11%. Revenues of breast cancer drug Phesgo, a more convenient alternative to Roche's established Perjeta, jumped 55% to 1.2 billion francs, while asthma and food allergies medicine Xolair grew 34% to 1.45 billion francs - both above forecast. Roche's much-watched Vabysmo, to counter a common form of blindness in the elderly, came in slightly below expectations at 2.07 billion francs. However, it was still among the company's top five growth drivers alongside Phesgo, Xolair, once-monthly haemophilia shot Hemlibra and MS drug Ocrevus. "We are confident in our continued strong momentum and resilience of our business due to our innovative on-market portfolio and pipeline," said CEO Thomas Schinecker. He said Roche was still...

AstraZeneca (AZN.L), opens new tab said on Thursday its experimental therapy, gefurulimab, met the primary goal and all secondary endpoints in a late-stage study aimed at improving symptoms of a rare autoimmune condition that affects muscle function. The therapy reduced the severity of generalised myasthenia gravis (gMG) in adults and improved functional activities, when compared with placebo at 26 weeks, the drugmaker said. Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here. In the study, patients' bodies also produced antibodies that attacked a type of protein on the nerves, disrupting communication with muscles. Generalised myasthenia gravis is caused by an abnormal immune reaction in which the body mistakenly attacks itself, weakening the skeletal muscles, especially those controlling the eyes, mouth, throat and limbs, leading to fatigue, difficulty swallowing and breathing. "Rapidly fluctuating symptoms and the unpredictable disability associated with gMG can affect nearly every aspect of a patient's life, making early intervention and sustained disease control a critical treatment goal," said Kelly Gwathmey, principal investigator of the trial and a neurology professor. Gefurulimab is designed to be self-administered as a once-weekly injection under the skin, offering patients convenience. It works by inhibiting the activity of...

Intuitive Surgical (ISRG.O), opens new tab beat Wall Street estimates for second-quarter profit and revenue on Tuesday, driven by growing demand for its surgical robots used in minimally invasive procedures. A steady rise in demand for elective surgeries has contributed to higher procedure volumes for medical device makers such as Intuitive Surgical in recent quarters. Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here. The company, known for its da Vinci robotic systems, has seen consistent growth as hospitals work through a backlog of deferred procedures and expand access to minimally invasive care. The medical device maker slightly raised its adjusted gross profit margin forecast for 2025 to between 66% and 67% of revenue, up from earlier estimates of 65% to 66.5%. The updated range includes an estimated impact from tariffs of 1% of revenue, plus or minus 20 basis points, Intuitive said, compared to previously estimated impact of 1.7% of revenue, plus or minus 30 basis points. Shares of the Sunnyvale, California-based company fell 1.5% in after-hours trading. More than 80% of the instruments and accessories for the company's da Vinci system are produced at Intuitive's facility in Mexico, while the company also operates in...

Dr Reddy's Laboratories (REDY.NS), opens new tab plans to launch a cheaper copycat version of Novo Nordisk's (NOVOb.CO), opens new tab blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy in 87 countries next year, the Indian drugmaker's CEO, Erez Israeli, said on Wednesday. Drugmakers are racing to get a share of the global obesity drug market, expected to generate around $150 billion in sales by the early 2030s, after Denmark-based Novo and its U.S. rival Eli Lilly (LLY.N), opens new tab saw extraordinary demand for their medicines. Dr Reddy's initially plans to launch the generic version of semaglutide - the active ingredient of Novo's Wegovy and diabetes medicine Ozempic - in Canada, India, Brazil, Turkey and other emerging markets, subject to patent expiry, Israeli said. "U.S. and Europe will open later... (and) all the other Western markets will be open between 2029 to 2033," Israeli said a press conference to discuss the company's earnings. He expects the generic drug to generate 'hundreds of millions of dollars' in sales for the company. Semaglutide's patent is expected to expire in several countries next year, including in India in March. Novo Nordisk had sued Dr Reddy's in May alleging patent infringement of semaglutide, according to documents seen by Reuters. Dr Reddy's has filed...

French pharmaceuticals company Sanofi (SASY.PA), opens new tab said on Tuesday it would acquire British private biotechnology firm Vicebio for a total of $1.15 billion, expanding its respiratory vaccine portfolio. Following the acquisition, Vicebio's non-mRNA candidate vaccine for treating respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV) will be added to Sanofi's range. The Vicebio deal includes a potential milestone payment of up to $450 million based on development and research achievements, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year. Sanofi will also obtain "Molecular Clamp" technology aimed at enabling quicker development of fully liquid combination vaccines that can be stored at standard refrigeration temperatures, eliminating the need for freezing or freeze-drying. The British company is the latest in a string of acquisitions by Sanofi, which recently finalised an up to $9.5 billion deal for U.S.-based Blueprint Medicines Corporation. Sanofi said that the acquisition will not impact its annual guidance.

• An innovative single pill combination of three medicines, including two doses that are lower than those currently available in single pill combinations, that can deliver the blood pressure-lowering benefits of a triple combination therapy early in the treatment pathway, as demonstrated in clinical trials, with an established safety profile • Azurity gains exclusive US rights to commercialize the first and only FDA-approved triple combination medication for the treatment of hypertension, including as initial treatment, to lower blood pressure • US commercialization anticipated in Q4 2025 London, UK, Boston, MA, USA, 21 July 2025 – George Medicines, a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on addressing significant unmet needs in cardiometabolic disease, has entered into an exclusive licensing and supply agreement with Azurity Pharmaceuticals (“Azurity”), a privately held global pharmaceutical company committed to delivering innovative, high-quality medicines for overlooked patients, granting Azurity exclusive rights to commercialize WIDAPLIK in the United States. WIDAPLIK is indicated for the treatment of hypertension, including as initial treatment, to lower blood pressure. It is a proprietary single pill combination of three medicines: telmisartan, amlodipine and indapamide and is available in three doses (10/1.25/0.625 mg, 20/2.5/1.25 mg, and 40/5/2.5 mg strengths), including two doses that are lower than those currently available...

AstraZeneca (AZN.L), opens new tab plans to spend $50 billion to expand manufacturing and research capabilities in the U.S. by 2030, it said on Monday, the latest big investment by a pharmaceutical company reacting to President Donald Trump's tariff policy. The investment will fund a new drug manufacturing facility in Virginia and expand research and development (R&D) and cell therapy manufacturing in Maryland, Massachusetts, California, Indiana and Texas, it said in a statement. Make sense of the latest ESG trends affecting companies and governments with the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter. Sign up here. It will also upgrade the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker's U.S. clinical trial supply network and support ongoing investment in novel medicines. On Monday, AstraZeneca said the expansion supports its ambition to reach $80 billion in annual revenue by 2030, with half coming from the U.S. The U.S. accounted for more than 40% of AstraZeneca's annual revenue in 2024, and the company had been prioritising the market - the world's largest, worth $635 billion - before Trump's return to office. The move to scale up its U.S. footprint is the latest by a drugmaker as Trump threatens to impose import tariffs on the industry and seeks to boost domestic manufacturing. The sector has historically been...

Biogen (BIIB.O), opens new tab will invest $2 billion more in its existing manufacturing plants in North Carolina, the drugmaker said on Monday, as it seeks to expand in the U.S. amid President Donald Trump's tariff threats. Biogen joins major drugmakers such as Eli Lilly(LLY.N), opens new tab, Roche (ROG.S), opens new tab and Merck, who have all announced investments in the U.S. as the industry braces for potential import levies. Drugs have so far been exempt from Trump's reciprocal tariffs, but he has often argued that separate levies are needed to bolster domestic manufacturing and avoid relying on other countries for medicine supply. Earlier this month, Trump said the tariffs may be delayed, but could be as high as 200%. On Monday, Biogen said it will invest in North Carolina's Research Triangle Park (RTP), the home of its largest manufacturing plants that produce key therapies for multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's. The investments will expand Biogen's ability to develop and produce certain gene-targeting therapies, and add fill finish facilities, automation and artificial intelligence, the company said. The drugmaker has invested about $10 billion in its North Carolina manufacturing to date. It has seven factories in the state with an eighth expected to start working in the...