Obesity meds top most valuable R&D list

Today’s Big News

Jul 11, 2024

Pfizer bounces back in obesity, moving once-daily oral drug toward pivotal trials after earlier missteps


Novartis closes technical R&D site in San Diego as part of ongoing restructure


The most valuable R&D projects? You guessed it: obesity


CRISPR gene therapy for progressive deafness preserves hearing in young adult mice


Ipsen scores 2nd preclinical ADC via $1B biobucks pact with Foreseen


China's share of trials jumps, along with enrollment times: IQVIA report

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Pfizer bounces back in obesity, moving once-daily oral drug toward pivotal trials after earlier missteps

Pfizer has dragged the oral GLP-1 candidate danuglipron back from the brink. Months after dropping one version of the asset, the Big Pharma has vowed to advance a once-daily, modified-release formulation on the strength of “encouraging pharmacokinetic data.”
 

Top Stories

Novartis closes technical R&D site in San Diego as part of ongoing restructure

An R&D center in San Diego is the latest area to be impacted by Novartis’ ongoing global development restructure, the company has confirmed.

The most valuable R&D projects? You guessed it: obesity

The obesity game is only in its early innings, and the future market will be defined by who can ease administration of the medicines, according to a new report from Evaluate.

CRISPR gene therapy for progressive deafness preserves hearing in young adult mice

Young adult mice with a genetic form of progressive deafness can hear again after being treated with an experimental CRISPR gene therapy that its creators hope to eventually use in humans.

Ipsen scores 2nd preclinical ADC via $1B biobucks pact with Foreseen

Ipsen is back with its second antibody-drug conjugate deal of the year, this time signing a $1 billion biobucks pact with Foreseen Biotechnology for a preclinical solid tumor candidate.

China's share of trials jumps, along with enrollment times: IQVIA report

Clinical trial geography has undergone a major shift in the past five years, with China’s share of the world’s trials jumping nearly 60% amid declines in Europe, according to a report released July 10 by the IQVIA Institute.

Move over, oncology: Obesity, diabetes meds will take over 2030's top drug rankings, Evaluate forecasts

Novo Nordisk's Ozempic is slated to take over No.1, while Merck's Keytruda falls to No.9 on Evaluate's predicted rankings of top drugs by 2030 sales.

Citing manufacturing issues, FDA rejects Novo Nordisk's once-weekly insulin

The FDA has slowed the roll for Novo Nordisk, rejecting its once-a-week insulin icodec for patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. In a complete response letter, the U.S. regulator cited manufacturing issues, which the company said it does not expect to remedy by the end of this year.

Health systems' Q2 M&A deals favor strategic partnerships, market realignment over scale

Strategic dealmaking that leverages IP or doubles down on high-growth markets was front and center in the second quarter of 2024, per a new Kaufman Hall report. A concurrent monthly report from the advisory firm also outlined signs of stabilization within the hospital sector.
 
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The best biopharma M&A deals 

In today’s episode of "The Top Line," Fierce Biotech’s Annalee Armstrong and James Waldron discuss what they think are the best and smartest biopharma acquisitions in recent years.  
 

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The “Best Practice Organization” & Its Importance for Success in Today’s Biopharma Industry

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