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THE GOOD
Business Development

Bristol Myer Squibbs acquires rights to two preclinical Alzheimer's antibodies from BioArctic for $100M upfront plus potential milestone payments
Monoclonal antibody, Alzheimer’s disease - Read more

Astellas licenses Sangamo Therapeutics's AAV capsid technology to develop treatments for neurological diseases via blood-brain barrier delivery
Gene therapy, neurological disorder, drug delivery, blood-brain barrier - Read more

THE GOOD
Clinical Trials

Sorriso Pharmaceuticals' SOR102 (targeting TNFα, IL-23) shows positive Ph1b results in ulcerative colitis
Antibody, ulcerative colitis - Read more

Krystal Biotech's inhaled KB707 (IL-2, IL-12 modulator) immunotherapy shows promising Ph1/2 trial results for treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients
Immunotherapy, lung cancer, solid tumor, cytokine - Read more

Regeneron advances REGN9933 and REGN7508 (targeting Factor XI) to Ph3 trials for preventing blood clots after knee surgery
Monoclonal antibody, asymptomatic or symptomatic venous thromboembolism - Read more

Merck & Co.’s doravirine (non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor) + islatravir (nucleoside reverse transcriptase translocation inhibitor) combo shows non-inferiority in Ph3 trials for virologically suppressed HIV-1 infection versus standard therapies
Small molecule, human immunodeficiency virus infection - Read more

Omeros' narsoplimab (targeting MASP-2) touts “superior” survival in Ph3 trial for transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy versus control group
Monoclonal antibody, transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy - Read more

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⬇️ More Good News ⬇️

THE GOOD
Company Launches

KdT Ventures launches (currently unnamed) startup to develop NGM Biopharmaceuticals' drug NGM313 (targeting β-Klotho/FGFR1c) for an undisclosed rare disease, with potential $608M deal value
Monoclonal antibody, rare disease - Read more

THE GOOD
Fundraises

XGEN Venture €180M ($190M) Life Sciences Fund officially closes, investing in early-stage biotech and medical device companies
Venture capital, biotech investing, life science investing - Read more

Bluenote AI $10M Seed, AI startup tackling pharmaceutical regulatory compliance
Regulatory compliance, AI - Read more [Paywall]

Ottimo Pharma $140M Series A, developing novel antibodies to unseat immune-boosting blockbuster incumbents (eg. Keytruda, Merck & Co.)
“Bifunctional” antibody, cancer - Read more

TigaTx $35M federal grant, developing IgA antibody platform for cancer and infectious disease treatment
Monoclonal antibody, cancer, solid tumor, infectious disease - Read more

Circio Holding NOK 10.7M ($1M) Private placement, develops circular RNA tech for nucleic acid medicine
DNA, RNA, viral vector - Read more

Assembly Biosciences $30.1M strategic investment from Gilead Sciences, research & development of novel antiviral therapies
Small molecule, antiviral, hepatitis D infection - Read more

HERVolution Therapeutics $11.7M Series A, develops immunotherapies targeting the “dark genome” to combat age-related diseases
Retrovirus, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - Read more

Umecrine Cognition SEK 23.8M (~$2.3M) convertible loan, developing neuroinflammation drug golexanolone (GABA-A receptor-modulating steroid antagonist) to treat primary biliary cholangitis
Small molecule, primary biliary cholangitis, neuroinflammation - Read more

AFYX Therapeutics raises DKK 25M ($3.6M) raise, specializing in “reversed innovation and the repurposing of established pharmaceutical substances”
Small molecule, oral lichen planus, cluster headaches - Read more

Astraveus €7.1M ($7.8M) non-dilutive funding from the French government, developing microfluidic tech for cell therapy manufacturing
Cell therapy, manufacturing, microfluidics - Read more

THE GOOD
Investments

BioCentriq leases 60,000-square-foot Princeton facility for new headquarters, investing $12M in cell therapy manufacturing upgrades
Facility build, cell therapy, manufacturing, office space - Read more

Lonza expands hard gelatin capsule production in India and China, adding manufacturing lines through 2025
Facility expansion, manufacturing, gelatin capsules - Read more

THE GOOD
Mergers & Acquisitions

Certa Therapeutics acquires OccuRx, combining GPR68-focused assets to strengthen fibrosis treatment pipeline
Small molecule, chronic fibrosis, systemic sclerosis, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), chronic kidney disease - Read more

THE GOOD
Partnerships

Palleon Pharmaceuticals, Henlius Biotech partner to develop E-602 enzyme therapy with rituximab for lupus nephritis treatment
Enzyme therapeutic, lupus nephritis, monoclonal antibody, drug development - Read more

Abilita Therapeutics, Orion partner to develop antibody therapeutics targeting multi-span membrane proteins for cancer and pain treatment
Antibody, pain, cancer - Read more

THE GOOD
Patient Access

According to new ICER (Institute for Clinical and Economic Review) report, major health insurers mostly meet fair access standards for drug coverage, but need improvements in both out-of-pocket expense and policy coverage transparency
Medical insurance, drug pricing, medical access - Read more

THE GOOD
Research

Scientists develop magnetic microscrew robots to clear blocked fallopian tubes, offering new hope for infertility treatment; in vitro testing
Medical device, microrobot, infertility - Read more

THE GOOD
Shortages

FDA officially ends shortage declaration for Eli Lilly's tirzepatide, giving compounders 60-90 days to stop producing copies
GLP-1, obesity, diabetes - Read more

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THE BAD
Approvals & Labels

FDA declines Zealand Pharma's glepaglutide for short bowel syndrome, requests additional trial to confirm safety and efficacy
Peptide, short bowel syndrome - Read more

THE BAD
Clinical Trials

Roche and Prothena's prasinezumab (targeting alpha-synuclein) fails Ph2b trial for early-stage Parkinson's disease, despite some efficacy
Monoclonal antibody, Parkinson’s disease - Read more

Vertex Pharmaceuticals' non-opioid pain hopeful suzetrigine (NaV1.8 inhibitor) shows mixed results in lower back pain trial, despite earlier success in acute pain
Small molecule, lumbosacral radiculopathy, pain - Read more

THE BAD
Layoffs

Novartis closing MorphoSys-acquired sites in Boston and Munich by 2025, cutting 330 jobs
Small molecule, cancer, site closure - Read more

THE BAD
Politics & Policy

RFK Jr. reportedly supports Trump-era restrictions on abortion pill mifepristone, including in-person dispensing requirements
Small molecule, abortion - Read more

THE UGLY
Adverse Events

Boston Scientific updates safety guidance for Polarx cryoablation catheter after reports of deaths and injuries from 69,000 worldwide procedures
Medical device, atrial fibrillation, catheter ablationa, esophageal injury - Read more

THE UGLY
Lawsuits

DOJ sues CVS for filling illegal opioid prescriptions and fraudulently seeking federal reimbursement at its 9,000+ pharmacies
Opioid, prescription medication - Read more

Lawsuit claims Applied Therapeutics misled investors about drug trial problems before FDA rejection, leading to financial losses
Small molecule, classic galactosemia, class action lawsuit, misled - Read more

THE UGLY
Politics & Policy

US government nears shutdown as revised government funding deal (that ditched PBM reforms and had a shortened, March 31st 2025 extension to Medicare telehealth flexibilities and hospital at home waivers) fails House vote
Pharmacy benefit manager, telehealth, hospital at home - Read more

You’re all caught up on the latest Pharma & Biotech News!

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