Nemolizumab

Our analysis of February data reveals key trends in global clinical-stage biopharmaceutical financing. For contextual understanding, we recommend beginning with the following article. Highlights of February 2025: Biopharmaceutical Clinical-Stage Drug Investment, Financing, and Collaboration Deals (1) 11. Kyorin and Cyrano Therapeutics Enter into an Option Agreement for the Development and Commercialization of CYR-064 in Japan On February 14, 2025, Kyorin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Cyrano Therapeutics, Inc. announced the signing of an option agreement for the novel drug CYR-064, which is designed to treat hyposmia following viral infections. Under the terms of this agreement, Kyorin has obtained the rights to develop and commercialize CYR-064 in Japan and will pay an option fee. Once the option is exercised and a licensing agreement is signed, Kyorin will also provide Cyrano with an upfront payment, milestone payments based on development and commercialization progress, and royalties calculated as a percentage of net sales after the product is launched. CYR-064 is a patented intranasal formulation of theophylline, a broad-spectrum phosphodiesterase inhibitor (PDEi), which increases intracellular cAMP levels by inhibiting cAMP degradation, thereby enhancing the excitability of olfactory neurons. This provides a potential therapeutic pathway for treating hyposmia following viral infections and other olfactory disorders. Currently, CYR-064 is undergoing a Phase II clinical trial in the United States, with trial data expected in the second half of 2025. Guided by its long-term vision "Vision 110," Kyorin Pharmaceutical is committed to creating high-value new drugs that meet medical needs. By actively leveraging open innovation strategies, Kyorin plans to continuously launch new drugs. This collaboration with Cyrano is part of its strategic implementation, aiming to accelerate the development and commercialization of CYR-064 in the Japanese market to address unmet medical needs. For the fiscal year ending in March 2025, this agreement is not expected to have a significant impact on Kyorin's business performance. However, with further development of CYR-064 and its potential market success, Kyorin anticipates positive financial returns in the coming years. Meanwhile, this collaboration also opens up new prospects for finding effective treatments for hyposmia following viral infections on a global scale. 12. Royalty Pharma Invests $250 Million to Support Biogen's Lupus Drug Litifilimab Development Royalty Pharma has entered into a $250 million agreement with Biogen to support the development of Biogen's late-stage experimental lupus drug litifilimab. Under the terms of the agreement, Biogen will receive this amount over the next six quarters. In return, if the drug achieves specific regulatory milestones, Royalty Pharma will receive undisclosed milestone payments and a mid-single-digit royalty on global sales. This transaction not only enhances Royalty Pharma's product portfolio but also brings more opportunities for potential revenue. Litifilimab is an anti-BDCA2 antibody currently in Phase III trials for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE). The drug has demonstrated significant reduction in skin disease activity in the Phase II LILAC study, showing effective relief of skin symptoms in CLE patients compared to the placebo group at the primary endpoint. If approved by 2030, litifilimab is projected to achieve up to $750 million in global sales. This potential allows Biogen to use the funds to further advance its development process. Currently, the SLE market is dominated by generic drugs, with only a few targeted biologics approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the past fifty years, such as GSK's Benlysta (belimumab) and AstraZeneca's Saphnelo (anifrolumab). In contrast, the CLE market is even more innovation-starved, with this form of lupus primarily affecting the skin, causing inflammation, rashes, and lesions. The successful development of litifilimab could change this status quo and provide new treatment options for patients. 13. Tivic Health Acquires Statera Biopharma's TLR5 Agonist Entolimod™ to Expand Its Therapeutic Pipeline Tivic Health Systems, Inc. has announced the acquisition of global exclusive rights to the late-stage Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) agonist Entolimod™ from Statera Biopharma for the treatment of acute radiation syndrome (ARS). In addition, Tivic has obtained exclusive options for five additional indications and clinical uses of Entolimod and its derivative Entalasta™. This extensive licensing agreement transforms Tivic into a diversified therapeutic company with complementary bioelectronic and biologic candidates in its clinical pipeline. As the lead candidate in the licensed portfolio, Entolimod is a TLR5 agonist specifically designed for the treatment of ARS. According to data from market research firm CoherentMI, the global ARS market was valued at $5.2 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5% from 2024 to 2031. Entolimod and its immune-optimized derivative Entalasta have undergone over forty animal and human trials and received approximately $140 million in investment. The FDA has granted Entolimod Fast Track and Orphan Drug designations for the prevention or treatment of ARS and to prevent death following a potentially lethal dose of total-body ionizing radiation after a radiological disaster. Animal studies for ARS have shown that a single dose of Entolimod administered 25 hours after exposure to a lethal level of radiation can triple survival rates. The drug is effective without additional supportive care, demonstrating gastrointestinal protective properties and no dose-limiting toxicity even at the highest doses. Other studies have also shown its potential in applications such as immunosenescence, lymphocyte exhaustion, neutropenia, vaccine enhancement, and chronic radiation syndrome. Under the agreement, Tivic will initially pay Statera $1.2 million in equity consideration and $300,000 in cash for the use of Entolimod in treating ARS. Tivic has the option to add one or more indications and expand its licensing scope to Entolimod's derivative Entalasta by exercising the exclusive options granted in the agreement. Future potential payments will be royalty and milestone-driven, ensuring alignment with the clinical and commercial success of Entolimod and subsequent Entalasta. The agreement structure allows Tivic to strategically manage its investment while maximizing shareholder returns. To establish Tivic's biopharmaceutical capabilities and advance the product candidates toward commercialization, some members of Statera's team will join Tivic. The transaction also includes exclusive rights and options to over sixty patents and pending patents, related proprietary technology, and ownership of previously manufactured and tested materials. Craft Capital Management LLC served as the sole investment banking firm in this deal. With these resources integrated, Tivic is steadily moving toward becoming a leading biotherapeutic company. 14. Oramed Pharmaceuticals Announces Formation of OraTech Pharmaceuticals to Accelerate Development and Commercialization of Oral Insulin Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc., a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the development of oral drug delivery platforms, recently announced that it will transfer its proprietary Protein Oral Delivery (POD™) technology to a new joint venture, OraTech Pharmaceuticals Inc., through a definitive agreement. This move is aimed at accelerating the development and commercialization of Oramed's oral insulin ORMD-0801 and other innovative oral drug delivery technologies based on the POD™ platform. In this transaction, Oramed will transfer its proprietary oral insulin and POD™ technology, along with other pipeline assets, to OraTech. Oramed shareholders will receive a majority stake in the new entity, allowing them to directly participate in its future success. Additionally, under the terms of the agreement, Oramed and HTIT will jointly invest $75 million, with Oramed contributing $15 million and HTIT contributing $60 million. This funding will provide OraTech with the necessary resources to advance product development, commercialization, and clinical progress. OraTech will leverage HTIT's expertise in capsule manufacturing and cost-effective production capabilities to establish a robust, reliable, and scalable supply chain to support clinical trials and commercial efforts. HTIT will also provide a supply agreement for the oral insulin capsules. Furthermore, OraTech plans to relaunch the pivotal Phase III clinical trial in the United States and advance the registration of oral insulin in the U.S. and other countries. In China, OraTech will receive royalties from the sales of oral insulin, while HTIT will be responsible for submitting marketing authorization applications and preparing for commercialization. 15. AdvanCell and Eli Lilly Expand Collaboration to Advance Cancer Targeted Alpha Therapy On February 10, 2025, AdvanCell announced that its strategic partnership with Eli Lilly and Company has been further expanded. This collaboration aims to research and develop innovative treatments for various types of cancer. The partnership not only recognizes AdvanCell's leadership in the field of Pb-212 targeted alpha therapy but also lays the foundation for a long-term collaboration between the two companies. Under the new cooperation agreement, both parties will utilize AdvanCell's proprietary Pb-212 production technology and radiopharmaceutical development infrastructure, as well as Eli Lilly's drug candidates and extensive drug development experience, to jointly advance the development of more targeted alpha radiopharmaceutical therapies and accelerate their clinical progress. AdvanCell's technological advantages and its infrastructure established in Australia to expedite early clinical trials enable it to quickly move novel radiotherapeutic drugs containing Pb-212 from the discovery phase to clinical trials. AdvanCell is currently conducting a Phase I/II trial for ADVC001, a potentially best-in-class targeted alpha therapy for metastatic prostate cancer. The trial aims to assess the safety and efficacy of the Pb-212-based radiopharmaceutical therapy. The core product ADVC001 is designed to bind to PSMA (a cell surface target highly expressed in prostate cancer) and has demonstrated potential best-in-class characteristics in preclinical studies. This collaboration is expected to accelerate the development of ADVC001, bringing new hope to patients with prostate cancer. As the partnership between AdvanCell and Eli Lilly continues to deepen, both parties are committed to achieving new breakthroughs in cancer treatment. By integrating their respective strengths and technologies, the two companies will not only accelerate the clinical progress of existing projects but also potentially open up new therapeutic pathways. For cancer patients who do not respond well to traditional therapies, targeted alpha therapy offers a more precise and less side-effect-prone treatment option. In the future, with the emergence of more research results, it is expected that more patients will benefit from this innovative cancer treatment method. 16. OliX and Eli Lilly Reach Global Licensing Agreement to Develop New Therapies for MASH and Other Cardiometabolic Indications On February 10, 2025, OliX Pharmaceuticals announced a global licensing agreement with Eli Lilly and Company. This cooperation aims to jointly develop and commercialize OliX's OLX75016, a Phase I candidate drug primarily targeting metabolic-associated fatty liver hepatitis (MASH) and other cardiometabolic indications. Under the terms of the agreement, OliX will receive an upfront payment from Eli Lilly to support the ongoing Phase I clinical trial in Australia. OLX75016 originates from robust targets identified through genome-wide association studies (GWAS), a method that can identify genomic variations in large populations. In preclinical studies, OliX has demonstrated the efficacy of OLX75016 in treating MASH, liver fibrosis, and other cardiometabolic indications. Currently, OliX is developing OLX75016 as a novel therapy for MASH with liver fibrosis and other cardiometabolic conditions. OliX Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing treatments for various diseases using its proprietary RNAi technology. The company's core RNAi platform—Asymmetric siRNA (asiRNA)—is a unique gene-silencing technology based on RNA interference (RNAi) and is considered one of the most effective gene-silencing technologies currently available. Using this proprietary asiRNA technology, OliX has developed cell-penetrating asiRNA (cp-asiRNA), a therapeutic RNAi platform that effectively targets diseases such as proliferative scar formation, dry and wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and subretinal fibrosis. In addition to cp-asiRNA, OliX has also developed another therapeutic RNAi platform, GalNAc-asiRNA, specifically for targeting various liver diseases. This collaboration with Eli Lilly not only advances the development of OLX75016 but also further solidifies OliX's position in the biopharmaceutical field, demonstrating its commitment to addressing unmet medical needs through innovative technologies. As research and development progresses, it is anticipated that more new therapies based on these advanced technologies will emerge, bringing hope to patients worldwide. 17. Kineta Restructures Portfolio Ahead of Merger with TuHURA Ahead of its merger with TuHURA Biosciences, Kineta has made significant adjustments to its portfolio. To streamline its investments, Kineta decided to sell its collaboration deals with Genentech and Merck & Co. to an investment company and transferred its pain treatment candidate drug KCP506 to Pacira Pharmaceuticals, while also terminating its cooperation agreement with GigaGen. TuHURA purchased Kineta for $15 million, with $5 million allocated to secure the exclusivity agreement. This acquisition enabled TuHURA to acquire Kineta's Phase II checkpoint inhibitor. In 2018, Genentech paid Kineta a $5 million upfront payment to obtain the rights to a small molecule modulator and set milestone payments of up to $96 million. The collaboration was expanded in 2020 to support the early development phase of a pain treatment candidate drug. On the other hand, Kineta inherited a collaboration with Merck from its merger with Yumanity Therapeutics, which obtained a preclinical drug candidate for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia from Yumanity in 2020. In 2023, Kineta received a $5 million milestone payment from Merck, with up to $255 million still pending. KCP506 is an α9α10 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) antagonist that Kineta is developing for the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain. Kineta initiated a Phase II trial for this drug. Subsequently, Kineta agreed to sell KCP506 to Pacira Pharmaceuticals for $450,000, marking the end of Kineta's further development of KCP506. A subsidiary of HealthCare Royalty Partners, HCRX Investments Holdco, reached an agreement with Kineta covering Kineta's licensing deals with Genentech and Merck, as well as its role in an agreement with Fair Therapeutics related to cystic fibrosis. This move will help Kineta focus its resources on the development of other key projects. Finally, Kineta decided to terminate its option and licensing agreement with GigaGen, which originally granted Kineta the rights to a CD27 drug program. By terminating this agreement, Kineta not only returned all rights to GigaGen but also waived its obligation to pay a $180,000 fee. This strategic retreat allows Kineta to concentrate more on the upcoming merger and the development of its core business. 18. Fosun Pharma and Dr. Reddy's Reach Licensing Agreement for HLX15 in Europe and the U.S. On February 6, 2025, Fosun Pharma announced a licensing agreement with Dr. Reddy's Laboratories for HLX15, a biosimilar to daratumumab, an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody under development. HLX15 is a recombinant human anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody injection intended for the treatment of multiple myeloma and other hematologic malignancies. Under the agreement, Dr. Reddy's will obtain exclusive commercialization rights to the drug in 43 countries and regions, including 42 European countries and the United States. The collaboration aims to expand the drug's market coverage and provide advanced biologics to more patients. According to the terms of the agreement, Fosun Pharma will be responsible for the development, production, and commercial supply of HLX15 and may receive up to $131.6 million in funding from Dr. Reddy's, including a $33 million upfront payment and additional milestone payments. Additionally, Fosun Pharma will receive royalties based on annual net sales. This arrangement not only provides Fosun Pharma with the necessary cash flow to support its ongoing research and development but also enhances its competitiveness in the global market. HLX15, as a biosimilar, primarily works by targeting and inhibiting the function of the CD38 protein to combat multiple myeloma. CD38 is a protein highly expressed on the surface of certain cancer cells, and monoclonal antibodies targeting it can effectively identify and destroy these cells while minimizing impact on normal tissues. Therefore, HLX15 is expected to become an important option for treating such diseases. 19. Relmada Therapeutics Acquires Potential Tourette Syndrome Therapy Sepranolone from Asarina Pharma AB On February 6, 2025, Relmada Therapeutics announced the acquisition of Sepranolone from Asarina Pharma AB, a therapeutic asset for Tourette Syndrome (TS) and other compulsive-related disorders, ready to enter Phase IIb clinical trials. Sepranolone (isoallopregnanolone) is a first-in-class GABAA modulatory steroid antagonist (GAMSA) that selectively acts on the GABAA pathway, aiming to counteract the effects of allopregnanolone on TS and other compulsive disorders. An open-label Phase IIa randomized study showed that Sepranolone has the potential to improve TS symptoms, as measured by changes in the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS). In the 12-week study, Sepranolone not only reduced the primary clinical endpoint of tic severity by 28% (p=0.051) compared to standard care alone but also achieved positive results in four key secondary endpoints, including a 69% improvement in quality of life, a 50% reduction in functional impairment, and a 44% reduction in premonitory urges. Additionally, the drug did not exhibit off-target central nervous system effects or systemic adverse effects, which is a significant advantage for central nervous system disorders requiring long-term use and potentially severe side effects. Under the terms of the agreement, Relmada acquired global ownership of Sepranolone from Asarina Pharma AB for €3 million, completing the transaction through an asset purchase agreement. This acquisition reflects Relmada's mission to find solutions for refractory central nervous system diseases and its strategic goal of enhancing shareholder value by identifying and developing innovative compounds. Relmada will continue to evaluate additional products and strategic opportunities and expects to update investors on the next steps for Sepranolone's development later in 2025. With further clinical data support, if Sepranolone successfully transitions to later-stage clinical trials and ultimately receives approval, it is expected to become one of the first-line treatments for Tourette Syndrome, bringing new hope to patients. 20. Acelyrin Terminates Izokibep Program, Affibody Regains Drug Development Rights In 2021, Acelyrin acquired the license for izokibep with a $25 million upfront payment and committed to milestone payments of up to $280 million. Izokibep is an IL-17A inhibitor with a molecular weight only about one-eighth that of a typical antibody, exhibiting extremely high affinity for IL-17A and capable of specifically binding to both subunits of IL-17A as well as albumin in the serum. However, less than two years later, despite raising $540 million through an initial public offering to fund the late-stage trials of izokibep across multiple indications, Acelyrin ultimately decided to cease investment in the drug. Izokibep achieved the primary endpoint in a Phase III clinical trial for the treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), demonstrating a 33% reduction in abscesses and inflammatory nodules by 75% or more in patients, compared to 21% in the placebo group. Despite these positive results, Acelyrin chose to discontinue investment in this indication. Additionally, after achieving success in psoriatic arthritis (PsA), Acelyrin also withdrew its investment, retaining only uveitis as the final active development area for izokibep. However, the Phase IIb/III trial in this area failed to meet its primary and secondary endpoints. With Inmagene Biopharmaceuticals terminating the agreement covering Asian countries, including China and South Korea, the responsibility for izokibep will now fall entirely on Affibody in Sweden. Affibody's CEO, David Bejker, stated that he believes his company can better capitalize on the potential of izokibep than its former partner, particularly in the field of dermatology and for patients severely affected by hidradenitis suppurativa. This indicates Affibody's confidence in the potential of its product and its determination to regain control of the project. 21. Vanda Pharmaceuticals and AnaptysBio Reach Global Exclusive Licensing Agreement for IL-36R Antagonist Imsidolimab On February 3, 2025, Vanda Pharmaceuticals and AnaptysBio announced a global exclusive licensing agreement for imsidolimab, an IL-36R antagonist monoclonal antibody. Imsidolimab has completed two pivotal global Phase III clinical trials for generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) - GEMINI-1 and GEMINI-2, demonstrating good safety and efficacy. This drug balances the inflammatory response by inhibiting the function of the IL-36 receptor, which is particularly important for GPP patients caused by mutations in the IL36RN gene. Under the terms of the agreement, Vanda will pay AnaptysBio a $10 million upfront payment and $5 million for existing drug supplies. Additionally, AnaptysBio will be eligible for up to $35 million in future regulatory approval and sales milestone payments, as well as a 10% royalty on global net sales. In this transaction, Vanda has obtained the global exclusive rights to develop, produce, and commercialize imsidolimab. These funds will support further research and development efforts to ensure that imsidolimab can reach the market as soon as possible. In the Phase III clinical trial of GEMINI-1, 53% of patients receiving a 750 mg intravenous injection of imsidolimab achieved a GPP Physician's Global Assessment (GPPPGA) score of 0/1 (skin almost or completely clear) at week 4, compared to only 13% in the placebo group (p=0.0131). In the subsequent GEMINI-2 trial, all patients in the maintenance dose treatment group maintained a GPPPGA score of 0/1 without relapse, while 63% of patients in the placebo group experienced disease worsening. These results indicate that imsidolimab has significant efficacy for GPP. Summary The clinical-stage drug investment, financing, and collaboration transactions in February 2025 revealed several trends: First, capital continues to be optimistic about innovative drugs, especially those with breakthrough therapeutic potential, and is willing to invest substantial funds to support research and development. Second, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have become one of the key areas of collaboration, demonstrating the global popularity of this technology platform. Lastly, Chinese pharmaceutical companies are not only seeking growth opportunities in the domestic market but also actively expanding into international markets, accelerating the global layout and commercialization of new drugs through licensing deals and other means. These dynamics indicate that, despite the many challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry, companies are actively exploring new development paths through capital injection and technological collaboration, aiming to gain a favorable position in global competition. How to get the latest progress on drug deals? If you would like to access the latest transaction event information, you can click on the 'Deal' module from the homepage of the Synapse database. Within the Deal module, you can search for global pharmaceutical transaction information using labels such as Drugs, Organization, Target, Drug Type, Deal Date.  Furthermore, you can obtain the original link to the transaction coverage by clicking on the "Deal Name." In the analysis view, you can see the most active assignors, assignees, popular targets, and other dimensions of analysis, as well as the distribution of research and development statuses at the time of the transaction, to help you better understand the search results. The Synapse database also supports the ability to view current transactions from the dimension of "drugs" (by selecting "drugs" from the "Adjust Dimension" dropdown menu above). Targeting transactions involving renowned pharmaceutical companies that are of interest to the industry, such as Merck, Roche, etc., Synapse has identified a group of "leading companies" through drugs that have achieved global sales exceeding 1 billion US dollars in 2022. Transactions involving drugs from these leading companies can be filtered by clicking on the "Leading Company" tag on the left-hand side. In addition to the drug transaction module, you can also view related transaction history on the drug detail page and the institution detail page. Click on the image below to explore new pharmaceutical funding transactions! 

Check back to this tracker for regulatory updates on marketed drugs, including expansions into new geographies and indications. Welcome to Fierce Pharma's regulatory tracker for the first half of 2025. On this page, we're recording the regulatory progress of in-market products, including expansions into key geographies and new indications. Be sure to come back regularly for the latest updates.UPDATED: Friday, March 14 at 9:25 a.m. ETChina's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has approved Innovent's Sycume as a treatment for thyroid eye disease (TED).The drug, also known as teprotumumab N01, becomes the first anti-insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) antibody to score approval in the country.In a press release, Innovent said the drug's approval "has ended a 70-year drought of no new treatment option for TED in China."In the U.S., teprotumumab is marketed by Amgen as Tepezza. In Europe, officials have expanded the label for Bristol Myers Squibb's cell therapy Breyanzi.Specifically, the European Commission approved the drug for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy.The approval is based on results from the global phase 2 study called TRANSCEND FL, which enrolled patients with relapsed or refractory indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), including FL. In the third-line-plus treatment setting, 97.1% of patients responded to the drug, and 94.2% of patients achieved a complete response.Before this approval, Breyanzi had scored EU nods to treat certain patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, high grade B-cell lymphoma and primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma.UPDATED: Thursday, March 13 at 8:30 a.m. ETKelun-Biotech's TROP 2 ADC sacituzumab tirumotecan (sac-TMT) has scored its second approval in China.The country's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approved the drug to treat certain adults with EGFR-positive locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The nod covers the drug's use in patients who have progressed after treatment with EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy and platinum-based chemotherapy, Kelun said in a press release.With the approval, sac-TMT becomes the first TROP2 ADC approved to treat lung cancer anywhere in the world, according to the company.In a pivotal study, the drug "demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement" in objective response rate, progression-free survival and overall survival compared with docetaxel, Kelun said. The study tested the drugs in patients with locally advanced or metastatic EGFR-mutant NSCLC who failed after prior treatment with an EGFR-TKI and platinum-based chemo.The approval is sac-TMT's second in the country after the NMPA approved it to treat certain patients with  triple negative breast cancer last year.In 2022, Merck & Co. licensed ex-China rights to the drug.UPDATED: Friday, March 7 at 9:35 a.m. ETThe European Commission (EC) has signed off on Bristol Myers Squibb’s immunotherapy combination of Opdivo and Yervoy to treat first-line patients with advanced or unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).The nod was based on Opdivo and Yervoy showing an overall survival edge in the CheckMate-9DW trial over an investigator's choice of oral treatments.The Opdivo-Yervoy combo also faces an FDA decision date of April 21 to treat unresectable HCC. In 2020, the FDA granted accelerated approval to Opdivo-Yervoy to treat second-line advanced HCC.Opdivo and Yervoy were originally approved to treat melanoma, in 2014 and 2011 respectively. In combination, they have been blessed by the FDA in four other cancer types: renal cell carcinoma (2018), colorectal cancer (2018), mesothelioma (2020) and lung cancer (2020).Approximately 90% of liver cancer diagnoses are of the HCC type, BMS said. Liver cancer is the world’s third leading cause of cancer deaths.The FDA has expanded its approval for ALK’s immunotherapy Odactra for house dust mite (HDM) allergies to children ages 5 through 11. The under-the-tongue tablet was originally approved for adults in 2017 and then for adolescents ages 12 to 17 in 2023.UPDATED: Thursday, March 6 at 9:45 a.m. ETARS Pharmaceuticals needle-free epinephrine option, neffy nasal spray, can now be used to treat type 1 allergic reactions including anaphylaxis in children.To win the pediatric nod from the FDA, ARS ran studies proving that pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic responses from neffy in both children and adults were consistent with that of standard epinephrine injection products. The label expansion comes after the drug’s August approval as the first major innovation in epinephrine delivery in more than 35 years. Needle-free delivery is especially significant in the pediatric population as many children and caregivers fear needle-based auto-injectors, standing to delay lifesaving treatment.Human factor studies also show that children as young as 10 can use the nasal spray effectively and that untrained individuals, such as babysitters or teachers, can also correctly administer the drug. In the U.S., nearly 4 out of every 10 epinephrine prescriptions are for children under the age of 18 and some one in 13 children have severe food allergies, with more than 40% having experienced severe reactions, according to ARS. UPDATED: Wednesday, March 5 at 10:10 a.m. ETRoche's supplemental biologics application for Gazyva to treat lupus nephritis has been accepted for review by the FDA, the company said in a Wednesday press release.The filing leverages results from the phase 3 REGENCY study, which showed that 46.4% of patients with lupus nephritis who received Gazyva plus standard care achieved a complete renal response after 76 weeks. For patients who received standard care alone, the number was 33.1%, according to study results published last month.First approved in 2013, Gazyva is already cleared to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia and follicular lymphoma in certain situations.The FDA is expected to make a decision on the lupus nephritis filing by October, according to Roche.UPDATED: Monday, March 3 at 4:30 p.m. ETDespite a reconsideration after a prior rejection, Australian drug regulators ultimately passed on Eisai's BioArtic-partnered Alzheimer’s disease treatment Leqembi. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) of Australia first decided against approval for patients with early Alzheimer’s disease in October. Eisai then requested reconsideration of the decision in December, proposing the same narrow indication given to the drug by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA). Those approvals stipulate that Leqembi can only be used in patients with one or no copies of the ApoE4 gene due to safety concerns linking two copies of the gene to increased risks of brain swelling and bleeding, a side effect known as Amyloid Related Imaging Abnormalities (ARIAs).However, the TGA did not agree with the safety profile of Leqembi in ApoE4 heterozygotes, or those with one copy of the ApoE4 gene. Instead, the regulator offered an alternative narrow indication covering only ApoE4 noncarriers. Eisai floated other indications instead, including one that would keep the ApoE4 noncarrier and heterozygote patient populations but require heterozygotes to receive treatment in specialist centers with expert physician supervision. Still, the TGA rejected those options.BioArtic, Eisai’s long-time research partner that originally developed the antibody that became Leqembi, said it’s “very disappointed” by TGA’s decision, CEO Gunilla Osswald said in a statement. Eisai said it remains committed to ensuring eligible Australians can access the treatment and is “exploring options” to achieve this including a potential review by Australia’s Administrative Review Tribunal. UPDATED: Friday, Feb. 28 at 10:30 a.m. ETThe CDC said it's investigating five hospitalizations related to heart and nervous system events following vaccination with Valneva's Ixchiq among people 65 years and older. Ixchiq became the first FDA-approved chikungunya vaccine in November 2023. The CDC currently recommends the live-attenuated shot to be used for adults traveling to a country or territory where there is a chikungunya outbreak. Based on information from the CDC, at least four of the five individuals had also received other vaccines, and most of them had significant underlying medical conditions, a Valneva spokesperson said in a statement to Fierce Pharma."Valneva has not identified any safety signal concerns through post-marketing safety monitoring, including periodic safety reports and routine signal detection activities, and Ixchiq’s safety profile remains consistent with clinical trial data, unchanged and positive," the spokesperson said.The CDC said findings from its investigation will be discussed with experts at an Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting. This year's first ACIP meeting, which was supposed to take place this week, was postponed with no new time provided by the CDC.The U.K. has approved Moderna's respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine mRESVIA to protect patients ages 60 and over against lower respiratory tract disease caused by the virus.In a study conducted in about 37,000 older adults, people who received mRESVIA had a 79% reduction in their risk of getting lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV, compared with those who received placebo, around four months after vaccination.The shot will be manufactured at the Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre in Oxfordshire, which will be fully operational later this year, CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a statement.As is the case in the U.S., Moderna's mRNA shot will compete with GSK's Arexvy and Pfizer's Abrysvo in the U.K. as well.UPDATED: Thursday, Feb. 27 at 8:32 a.m. ETAfter being turned away by the FDA nearly one year ago, Regeneron this week said that the U.S. agency has accepted for review its biologics license application for bispecific antibody odronextamab.The FDA is expected to act on the application by July 30, Regeneron said in a Wednesday press release.In March of 2024, the agency rejected an accelerated approval filing for the drug based on the timeline of Regeneron's ongoing confirmatory trials. That decision spurred some confusion at Regeneron—and beyond—about a new requirement from the agency that confirmatory trials be "well underway" by the time it awards accelerated approvals.Early this year, the FDA sought to clear up the issue with new guidance on its expectations around accelerated approvals and confirmatory trial timelines.Nevertheless, Regeneron's review for the drug to treat patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) follicular lymphoma (FL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy now appears back on track. In its latest press release, Regeneron said the resubmission "follows the achievement of an FDA-mandated enrollment target for the Phase 3 confirmatory trial." As the company notes, the enrollment target was the "sole approvability issue identified by the FDA" in its last submission.In Europe, regulators last year approved the drug for patients with R/R FL and R/R diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy. The medicine carries the brand name Ordspono in the region.In a phase 2 study, 80% of patients with FL who were treated with odronextamab responded to the therapy, with 74% achieving a complete response.UPDATED: Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 9:30 a.m. ETMerck's Keytruda, already boasting some 40 FDA approvals, has picked up a priority review in a proposed new use.The company's filing for the drug as part of a perioperative regimen for patients with resectable locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma has been accepted for a speedy review, Merck said on Tuesday.The filing seeks approval for Keytruda as a neoadjuvant treatment prior to surgery, followed by its administration as an adjuvant treatment in combination with standard of care radiotherapy—with or without cisplatin—after surgery. Afterward, the company's filing proposes Keytruda being used as a single agent.Merck's application leverages results from the KEYNOTE-689 trial, which showed that the perioperative regimen significantly reduced the risk of disease recurrence, worsening or death in certain patients with resected HNSCC compared with traditional postsurgical radiotherapy alone.The FDA is expected to act on the application by June 23.In Japan, Sanofi's Sarclisa has picked up an approval to treat newly diagnosed patients with multiple myeloma.Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) approved the drug as part of a combination with bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone (VRd) in the patient group based on results from the phase 3 IMROZ trial. The study showed that Sarclisa's addition to VRd significantly improved progression-free survival compared with VRd alone in patients with newly diagnosed, transplant-ineligible multiple myeloma.Sarclisa launched in 2020 in Japan and is approved as a part of four different regimens in the country, Sanofi noted in a press release.UPDATED: Monday, Feb. 24 at 10:52 a.m. ETGilead's application for twice-yearly lenacapavir has been accepted by the European Medicines Agency for accelerated review as an HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) option. Simultaneously, the drug will be assessed under EU-Medicines for all, which can be used to facilitate expedited review processes in countries outside the EU, including in low- and lower-middle-income countries. The FDA has put lenacapavir's PrEP application under priority review last week with a target decision date set for June 19, 2025.Several companies have launched their biosimilar products referencing Johnson & Johnson's star inflammatory disease drug Stelara in the U.S., following Amgen's January launch of Wezlana as the first biosimilar referencing the star IL-12/23 inhibitor. Teva and Alvotech just rolled out Selarsdi covering all indications and presentations of the original Stelara. Teva can start to claim interchangeability after an exclusivity period for Wezlana ends on April 30. Sandoz announced the launch of its Samsung Bioepis-partnered Pyzchiva, which the Swiss company views as a key driver in its global growth strategy. Sandoz touts Pyzchiva's extended stability, including the ability to be re-refrigerate, as an advantage over the original Stelara.In addition, Biocon Biologics has also entered the U.S. Stelara biosimilar market with Yesintek. It marks the Biocon subsidiary's "first product launch in the United States since becoming a fully integrated global biosimilars organization," CEO Shreehas Tambe said in a release. The FDA has granted priority review to Bristol Myers Squibb's application for Opdivo and Yervoy in first-line unresectable or metastatic microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) colorectal cancer (mCRC). The goal date is June 23, 2025.The filing was based on data from the phase 3 CheckMate-8HW trial. The combo lowered the risk of disease progression or death by 38% versus Opdivo alone in MSI-H/dMMR mCRC, according to an update of the study presented in January.The FDA has updated the label of Indivior's Sublocade for severe opioid use disorder. The new label allows healthcare providers to start treatment with Sublocade after a single dose of transmucosal buprenorphine and a one-hour observation period. This rapid initiation "may lessen some of the practical obstacles to treatment induction," according to Indivior.In addition, the FDA has approved additional injection sites for Sublocade, an extended-release formulation of buprenorphine. The drug can now be administered in the abdomen, thigh, buttock or back of the upper arm.UPDATED: Friday, Feb. 21 at 9:30 a.m. ETGilead's seladelpar has secured a conditional marketing nod in Europe to treat adults with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC).The approval covers seladelpar's use in combination with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) for those who have an inadequate response to UDCA alone, or as a monotherapy for people who can't tolerate UDCA.In the U.S., seladelpar picked up FDA approval last year and is branded as Livdelzi.A chronic autoimmune disease, PCB affects roughly 22 out of 100,000 people in Europe. The disease is more common in women and causes liver damage that can progress to liver failure if untreated. Symptoms include chronic itch and fatigue, and there is no cure for the disease.The approval is largely based on results from the phase 3 Response study, which showed that roughly three times as many patients on seladelpar achieved a composite biochemical response than those on placebo. The conditional approval will be contingent on positive results from future confirmatory studies.In Japan, authorities have approved CSL's subcutaneous Andembry for the prevention of acute attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE).The drug offers patients the first pre-filled pen presentation for monthly subcutaneous administration for long-term prophylaxis of HAE, CSL said in a press release.The Japanese nod adds to the drug's other approvals in Europe, Australia and the U.K.UPDATED: Thursday, Feb. 20 at 10:00 a.m. ETBristol Myers Squibb's Breyanzi has won reimbursement backing from England's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in second-line large B-cell lymphoma, becoming the first CAR-T therapy to be recommended by the agency for this cancer type. The endorsement comes after NICE had originally rejected Breyanzi in October 2024 during its draft assessment. The drug cost watchdog changed its mind after BMS "offered an improved commercial arrangement" to the NHS based on its 297,000 pound sterling (about $375,000) list price per person, according to a press release.About 600 people in England could benefit from the therapy per year, according to NICE, which called the one-time CAR-T treatment "a significant advance in lymphoma care." In another reversal, NICE has also changed a previous rejection and signed off on UCB's Fintepla as an add-on treatment for seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) in people ages 2 years and above. The drug already has coverage under NHS for treating seizures from Dravet syndrome.LGS is a rare but severely debilitating form of epilepsy that begins in early childhood. By NICE's estimate, about 1,400 patients live with the disease in its jurisdiction.NICE changed its mind after UCB offered "an improved discount" to the drug's list price, the agency noted. Using a cost comparison approach, UCB convinced NICE's drug reviewers that Fintepla provides similar or greater health benefits compared to cannabidiol plus clobazam—which is already covered for LGS in the NHS—at a similar or lower cost.  The drug is covered only if the frequency of drop seizures is checked every six months, at which point the frequency is reduced by at least 30% compared with before starting treatment. UPDATED: Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 11:04 a.m. ETMerck’s Welireg snagged its first two approvals in Europe, with the nods covering certain patients with von Hippel-Lidau (VHL) disease and advanced clear renal cell carcinoma (RCC).The European Commission specifically approved the medicine as a treatment for those with VHL disease who have associated, localized RCC, central nervous system hemangioblastomas or pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. The drug is approved in cases when localized procedures are unsuitable, making Welireg the first available treatment for VHL-associated tumors in Europe. The med also won a nod for adult patients with advanced clear cell RCC that has progressed following two or more lines of therapy, including a PD-1/L1 and at least two VEGF-targeted therapies.The European nods, which are conditional authorizations, follow similar approvals in the U.S. Merck will make the drug commercially available individual European countries after the complication of national reimbursement procedures, among other launch timing factors, the company said.Gilead’s twice-yearly pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) candidate lenacapavir is on the FDA’s review table with a decision date of June 19.The drug, which is currently approved as Sunlenca for multi-drug resistant HIV, would be the first twice-yearly PrEP option on the market. The company’s FDA bid is the first step of its detailed global launch and access strategy.Gilead’s lenacapivir application is backed by two phase 3 trials, one of which showed an impressive 100% risk reduction. The company describes the med as a “foundation” for potential future HIV therapies, it said in a release.Sanofi and Regeneron’s immunology powerhouse Dupixent is aiming to secure a new use in chronic skin disease bullous pemphigoid (BP) with an FDA decision expected by June 20.If approved, the med would be the only targeted BP treatment available in the U.S. The disease is hallmarked by intense itch and blisters and impacts a population of around 27,000 adults, typically elderly adults, whose condition is not controlled by systemic corticosteroids.  The companies’ FDA bid has been granted priority review and is based on a study of 106 adults with moderate-to-severe BP. In the trial, five times more patients who received Dupixent achieved sustained disease remission compared to those on placebo, according to Sanofi. UPDATED: Friday, Feb. 14 at 9:20 a.m. ETCSL's hereditary angioedema (HAE) therapy Andembry has secured approval from the European Commission.The drug is the first once-monthly treatment targeting factor XIIa to prevent HAE attacks in patients 12 and older. In a phase 3 trial, the drug significantly reduced investigator-confirmed HAE attacks per month versus placebo, according to results published in The Lancet in April 2023.Last month, regulators in Australia and the U.K. signed off on the medicine."Andembry, CSL's first approved recombinant monoclonal antibody discovered and developed entirely by CSL, underscores our more than 40-year legacy in HAE research and treatment optimization and our decades-long journey to bring this innovation to patients," Bill Mezzanotte, M.D., CSL's head of R&D, said in a press release.Now, CSL plans to engage in access and reimbursement negotiations with national authorities across Europe as the company progresses with the rollout.Also in Europe, officials signed off on CSL and Arcturus Therapeutics' self-amplifying mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, Kostaive, for use in individuals ages 18 and older.The approval is based on results from an integrated phase 1/2/3 study and late-stage booster trials, the partners said in a press release. Late last year, the European Medicines Agency recommended the vaccine for approval.Besides Europe, the vaccine is approved in Japan.Galderma's efforts to expand the market for Nemluvio are bearing more fruit.In Europe, officials approved the subcutaneous drug for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis in patients ages 12 and older. In addition, the drug scored an endorsement to treat prurigo nodularis in adults.In the late-stage Arcadia and Olympia clinical trial programs, the drug "significantly improved itch, skin lesions and sleep disturbance, in patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis and adults with prurigo nodularis, respectively," Galderma said in a Friday press release.The drug is also approved in the U.S. and is under review in Canada, Brazil, South Korea and other countries.China has approved its 22nd PD-1/L1 product. The approval went to SinoCellTech's finotonlimab for its use alongside chemo in first-line head and neck cancer. In a China phase 3 trial, the combo reduced the risk of death by 27% versus chemo alone, extending the median overall survival by 3.6 months to 14.1 months, according to results published in Nature Medicine.The go-ahead marks the first for a PD-1/L1 inhibitor that covers all head and neck cancer patients in China. In the country, Merck & Co.'s Keytruda is allowed as a monotherapy only in PD-L1-positive disease, SinoCellTech noted in a securities filing (Chinese). UPDATED: Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 10:20 a.m. ETAcoramidis, the transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) drug developed by BridgeBio and licensed by Bayer in Europe, has been approved by the European Commission. Bayer plans to make the transthyretin stabilizer available in Europe under the brand name Beyonttra in the first half of this year.The approval is based on results from the phase 3 ATTRibute-CM study trial showing that Beyonttra significantly reduced the composite endpoint of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular-related hospitalizations compared with placebo. During the open-label extension phase of the study, Beyonttra demonstrated a relative risk reduction in deaths of 34% after 42 months.Beyonttra's launch is one of Bayer's “must-win battles” as the German company navigates the loss of exclusivity of its top-selling drug, blood thinner Xarelto, Stefan Oelrich, head of Bayer’s pharma division, said at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in January.Travere Therapeutics said it has aligned with the FDA on its plan to submit Filspari for traditional approval in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a rare kidney disease. The move comes after a Filspari phase 3 trial in that indication failed on its primary endpoint of eGFR slope, a measurement of kidney disease progression. It also comes as findings from a collaborative global project called ARASOL linked a decrease in proteinuria over 24 months to a reduction in the risk of kidney failure in FSGS. Filspari has shown a benefit in lowering proteinuria. Travere plans to file this application around the end of March using existing data from the phase 3 DUPLEX and phase 2 DUET studies. The company will request a priority review, which Leerink Partners analysts believe is likely to be granted as there are no approved therapies for FSGS. Given that the understanding around proteinuria as a potential full approval endpoint is new, Leerink analysts said it would not be surprising if the FDA wanted to discuss the results during an advisory committee meeting.An approval in FSGS would be "transformational" for Filspari and Travere, Leerink said in a Tuesday note, because it could give the drug $1.1 billion in peak sales across the U.S. and EU based on a "relatively conservative peak penetration" of less than 20%. For Filspari sales, the FSGS indication could eventually surpass IgA nephropathy, for which Filspari is currently approved and is starting to face more competition, according to Leerink Partners.UPDATED: Monday, Feb. 10 at 9:45 a.m. ETBristol Myers Squibb’s cancer combo Opdivo plus Yervoy has scored an approval recommendation in the E.U., thanks to an endorsement from the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) as a first-line treatment in adults with unresectable or advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.With the thumbs up from CHMP, the Opvido-Yervoy combo now moves forward to the European Commission (EC) for a final approval decision.The CHMP based its green light on results from the combo’s phase 3 CheckMate -9DW trial, in which patients on Opdivo and Yervoy charted a median overall survival of 23.7 months, compared to 20.6 months in patients who received an alternative regimen of Lenvima (lenvatinib) or sorafenib.BMS’ cancer combo is up for a similar approval in the U.S., with the FDA scheduled to make its decision on a potential first-line unresectable HCC nod by April 21.The drugmaker also won a CHMP endorsement for its CAR-T therapy Breyanzi to treat adults with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) who’ve previously tried two or more systemic therapies.BMS used data from its phase 2 TRANSCEND FL study to support the recommendation. In the trial, Breyanzi charted an overall response rate of 97.1% and a complete response rate of 94.2%, which was sufficient to meet the study’s primary and secondary endpoints, BMS said in a release.Breyanzi already carries multiple oncology approvals in Europe, including in relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and high grade B-cell lymphoma.Late last month, the FDA gave a thumbs up to German drugmaker medac’s alkylating agent Grafapex, also known as treosulfan, alongside the antimetabolite medicine fludarabine, as a preparative regimen for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) in adults and kids ages one and older with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).Alkylating agents cause breakage of DNA strand to help thwart the ability of cancer cells to multiply.Medac’s approval was backed up by a study looking primarily at overall survival in 570 adults ages 18 to 70 years old with AML or MDS who were randomized to receive either Grafapex or busulfan with fludarabine as a preparative regimen for allogeneic transplant. UPDATED: Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 9:05 a.m. ETNovartis' Kisqali has secured a label expansion from the U.K.'s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).The new approval covers Kisqali's use in combination with an aromatase inhibitor (AI) in patients with HR+/HER2- early breast cancer at high risk of recurrence. Previously, the drug was approved by the MHRA to treat advanced breast cancer, according to a Feb. 4 press release from Novartis.The latest approval is based on results from the phase 3 NATALEE trial, which showed that the addition of Kisqali to treatment with an AI cut the risk of invasive disease, recurrence, or death compared to AI treatment alone in patients with HR+/HER2- early breast cancer.Last fall, the drug picked up an FDA nod in patients with HR+/HER2- early breast cancer based on the NATALEE study results.Vaccine specialist Valneva has picked up an approval from the MHRA, as well.The agency approved the company's chikungunya vaccine, Ixchiq, for use in people 18 years of age and older. Late-stage trial data show the vaccine "induces a rapid and strong immune response," according to a press release from the company.Valneva manufactures the shot at its facility in Livingston, Scotland.Previously, the vaccine secured approvals in the United States, Canada and Europe. UPDATED: Friday, Jan. 31 at 9:35 a.m. ETVertex's groundbreaking launch of Casgevy keeps racking up more milestones around the globe.Friday, the company said it has reached a reimbursement agreement with NHS England that'll allow eligible patients with sickle cell disease access to the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-edited therapy. Along with the NHS England agreement, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has signed off on the drug's use, Vertex said in a press release.The reimbursement deal follows a similar agreement, unveiled last summer, for the drug in patients with transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia.“We are pleased to have reached this new agreement that ensures both eligible SCD and TDT patients can now be treated with Casgevy, recognizing the value a one-time treatment can provide to patients, their families and the healthcare system," Vertex International senior vice president Ludovic Fenaux said in a statement.In its approval bid for Fabhalta in C3 glomerulopathy, Novartis will no longer face an FDA advisory committee meeting, CEO Vas Narasimhan said on Friday.The advisory committee meeting had been scheduled for next month but will no longer take place.Speaking with members of the media on Friday, Narasimhan said the "FDA no longer deemed it necessary to hold an advisory committee meeting.""We think it's based on, you know, the overall data package we've been able to generate, and the additional follow on data that we've provided the agency," the CEO continued. So we look forward to now bringing forward that medicine as a third indication approval for Fabhalta."Amid Europe's ongoing regulatory review of Eisai and Biogen's Alzheimer's disease medicine Leqembi, the European Commission (EC) has flagged new safety information for review.In November, Europe's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended market approval of the drug. Since then, EC has asked the committee to "consider information on the safety of lecanemab that became available after the adoption of the CHMP opinion," the partners said in a Friday press release. The companies didn't reveal the nature of the new safety information flagged by the EC. CHMP will dig into the new info during a meeting next month, according to the release."We believe that the EC’s requests can be addressed with existing information and will be evaluated by the CHMP because of the clear and sufficient information available," the partners said in the release. "We will continue to work closely with the authorities toward approval in the EU."UPDATED: Monday, Jan. 27 at 10:43 a.m. ETMerck’s Welireg is up for a potential FDA label expansion by May 26. The agency granted a priority review to the company's bid to expand the drug's label into advanced, unresectable, or metastatic pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGL), which would add to currently approved indications in advanced renal cell carcinoma and von Hippel-Lindau disease.Welireg generated $139 million in sales during 2024’s third quarter and is the only approved HIF-2α inhibitor in the U.S.Merck’s application in PPGL is based on objective response rate and duration of response rate data from the phase 2 LITESPARK-015 trial, which enrolled 322 patients and will be presented at an upcoming medical meeting, according to the company. Up to 2,000 new cases of the tumors are diagnosed yearly in the U.S.Merck is evaluating Welireg across other rare oncologic diseases both on its own and in combination with other therapies. The FDA is evaluating Alvotech and Teva’s proposed biosimilar to Johnson & Johnson’s Simponi and Simponi Aria.Alvotech, which is responsible for development and manufacturing under its longstanding collaboration with Teva, announced positive top line results from its confirmatory trial of the Simponi copycat back in April. The partners expect the FDA to complete its review process in the fourth quarter of 2025. Simponi was first approved in 2009 and treats a variety of inflammatory conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, among others. Simponi is an injected drug, while Simponi Aria is the infused version. The franchise picked up $2.19 billion for J&J in 2023 sales.Alvotech and Teva's product is the first biosimilar to the blockbuster arthritis med to be accepted for review.UPDATED: Thursday, Jan. 23 at 10:00 a.m. ETBiogen said its applications for a high-dose version of the spinal muscular atrophy med Spinraza have been accepted for review by the FDA and the European Medicines Agency. The new regimen comprises a more rapid loading regimen of two 50 mg doses given two weeks apart and a maintenance regimen given at 28 mg every four months. Currently, the drug's FDA-approved loading regimen features three doses given 14 days apart, plus a fourth dose 30 days after the third. The drug is currently approved in 12 mg doses.The high-dose applications are based on results from the phase 2/3 Devote trial, which favored the high-dose version versus an external sham control and the currently available dose on the measure of patients' reduction in plasma neurofilament light chain (NfL), a marker for neurodegeneration.The higher dose regimen also reduced the risk of death or permanent ventilation by 68% relative to sham and 30% compared with the 12 mg regimen.The high-dose Spinraza is Biogen's answer to competitors such as Novartis' gene therapy Zolgensma.Amneal has won FDA approvals for generics referencing AbbVie's Alzheimer's combo drug Namzaric and Novartis' cancer therapy Afinitor Disperz. Amneal has launched the Namzaric generic with 180-day market exclusivity.Separately, Amneal said it has won tentative approval from the FDA for a generic to Bausch Health's star irritable bowel syndrome med Xifaxan. Bausch Health has previously reached settlement agreements with Teva, Sun Pharma and Sandoz, pushing their generic entry dates into 2028 or upon an earlier launch of a rival generic product. Xifaxan is one of 15 drugs up for the second cycle of Medicare price negotiations under the Inflation Reduction Act. UPDATED: Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 8:57 a.m. ETThe European Commission has approved Johnson & Johnson's combination of Lazcluze and Rybrevant for the first-line treatment of certain adults with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the company said in a press release.Specifically, the combo is approved in Europe for patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 deletions (ex19del) or exon 21 L858R (L858R) substitution mutations.In approving the use, EU regulators reviewed results from the phase 3 MARIPOSA study. The trial showed that the combination reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 30% compared with AstraZeneca's Tagrisso in patients with newly diagnosed, EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer. The results yielded a U.S. approval for the J&J combination last summer. Earlier this month, J&J touted an overall survival win from the study. At the time, a company executive heralded the regimen as "a new standard of care for patients with EGFR non-small cell lung cancer."Also in Europe, officials have endorsed GSK's Jemperli to treat all adult patients with primary advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, including those with mismatch repair proficient (MMRp)/microsatellite stable (MSS) tumors. MMRp and MSS cases represent approximately 75% of patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer, GSK said in a press release.The approval covers Jemperli's use in combination with chemotherapy.Late last year, Europe's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended the label expansion.In England, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended AstraZeneca's Tagrisso for treating people with EGFR mutation-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after surgery.The recommendation means that hundreds of patients will benefit from routine access to the drug, which is taken daily alongside chemotherapy, according to a notice from the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.Previously, EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC patients relied on chemotherapy to prevent cancer recurrence after surgery, according to the foundation.“I am pleased we have been able to recommend that this targeted treatment for a specific gene mutation of lung cancer will be routinely available on the NHS," NICE's director of medicines evaluation, Helen Knight, said in a statement.UPDATED: Thursday, Jan. 16 at 10:25 a.m. ETEli Lilly's Omvoh has picked up its second major FDA nod. After the IL-23 inhibitor's approval in 2023 to treat ulcerative colitis, the agency has now signed off on Omvoh to treat Crohn's disease. Specifically, the FDA approved Omvoh to treat moderately to severely active Crohn's disease in adults.In a phase 3 study, 53% of patients treated with Omvoh achieved clinical remission after a year of treatment. That number compared with 36% for those on placebo.In addition, 46% of patients treated with Omvoh had visible healing of the intestinal lining after a year. In the placebo group, the number was 23%.The trial enrolled patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease who had experienced an inadequate response, loss of response or who could not tolerate corticosteroids, immunomodulators and/or biologics.With the FDA nod, Lilly's drug will go up against some heavy hitters in the Crohn's space, including Johnson & Johnson's Stelara and AbbVie's duo of Skyrizi and Rinvoq.UPDATED: Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 8:12 a.m. ETSanofi's Sarclisa has gained approval from China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) to treat adults with multiple myeloma who've received at least one prior line of therapy, including lenalidomide and a proteasome inhibitor.The approval covers Sarclisa's use in combination with pomalidomide and dexamethasone (Pd).Regulators in China endorsed the drug based on results from the phase 3 ICARIA-MM study, as well as bridging data from a China-based study, Sanofi said in a press release. In ICARIA-MM, the addition of Sarclisa to Pd resulted in a 40% reduction in patients' risk of disease progression or death. "We look forward to continuing to build strong partnerships with the medical community, local companies, and authorities in China as we work to bring more innovative treatments to patients," Sanofi's head of oncology, Olivier Nataf, said in a statement.As Biogen and Eisai work to grow Leqembi in Alzheimer's disease, the FDA has accepted a biologics license application for the drug's subcutaneous maintenance dosing option. With a potential approval, Leqembi would become the first anti-amyloid therapy to offer at-home maintenance dosing.The FDA is set to make a decision on the filing by August 31, according to a Biogen press release.UPDATED: Thursday, Jan. 9 at 11:15 a.m. ETEngland’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended AstraZeneca’s Lynparza for use in the region’s National Health Service, clearing the way for around 1,200 eligible patients to reap the benefits of the treatment.The recommendation covers Lynparza’s use in patients with HER2-negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who have BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations and have had chemotherapy. NICE based its decision in part on results from the company’s OlympiAD phase 3 study, which proved that the drug could cut the risk of disease worsening or death by 42%.NICE had originally begun its assessment of the treatment in that indication in 2018, but ended it citing a lack of evidence submitted by the company. This time around, NICE assessed the med using a faster cost comparison process that compared Lynparza to Pfizer’s Talzenna in benefits and cost. Stallergenes Greer’s peanut allergy treatment Palforzia scored a label expansion in Europe, extending the drug’s use to toddlers aged 1 through 3 years old.Palforzia is now cleared for use in those aged 1 to 17 years old and is the only approved oral immunotherapy in the U.S. and Europe for toddlers with a confirmed peanut allergy diagnosis. The drug is meant to gradually increase the body’s ability to tolerate small amounts of peanuts through carefully controlled initial dose escalation and up-dosing.The European Commission based its nod on the company’s POSEIDON phase 3 study, which was a double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge after six months of treatment. Agios Pharmaceuticals’ Pyrukynd is up for an FDA decision in non-transfusion-dependent and transfusion-dependent alpha- or beta-thalassemia on Sept. 7.The company filed its bid for approval last month after finding success in two phase 3 trials assessing the drug in the non-transfusion-dependent and transfusion-dependent populations. Thalassemia is a rare, inherited blood disorder with limited treatment options. The disease is hallmarked by the abnormal production of hemoglobin, which causes chronic anemia and can lead to other complications.Pyruknd won its first approval in 2022 for pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency, marking the first drug approved to treat the disease. Merck’s Gardasil HPV vaccine won approval from the National Medical Products Administration of China for males aged 9 to 26 years old, making the first option of its kind available for the country's male population.The vaccine was previously approved for use in females who are 9 to 45 years of age and has helped protect over 50 million women in China from certain HPV-related cancers and diseases since its first approval, Merck’s president of Human Health International, Joseph Romanelli, said in a release.Gardasil has recently seen slumping sales in China, where it's being marketed by Merck’s regional commercial partner Zhifei Biological Products. Rob David previously called the expansion to the male population a “significant opportunity.” UPDATED: Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 3:57 p.m. ETThe FDA tacked on additional warning information to the prescribing information for Agios’ pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency drug Pyrukynd, flagging instances of liver deficiency in certain situations.The label update follows liver injury observations in patients who received Pyrukynd at a dose higher than is recommended for PK deficiency, according to an SEC filing from the company.The drug was approved by the FDA in 2022 as the first medicine to treat hemolytic anemia in adults with PK deficiency. Besides this use, the company is exploring expansions into beta thalassemia and sickle cell disease.The updated "Warnings and Precautions" section urges prescribers to run liver tests on patients before initiating treatment and monthly for the first six months of treatment. Patients should stop treatment if hepatic injury is suspected.Bayer is vying for a third indication for its Nubeqa (darolutamide) in China, this time for its use in combination with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in patients with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.The company filed an application for the label expansion with China’s National Medical Products Administration, leveraging data from its phase 3 ARANOTE trial. In the study, Nubeqa and ADT significantly reduced the risk of radiological progression or death by 46% compared with placebo plus ADT.The nod would add to the drug’s two existing approvals in China, which cover other prostate cancer patient populations. It is estimated that the prevalence of prostate cancer in China will exceed 161,000 cases annually by 2026, according to Bayer. Dizal’s non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) candidate sunvozertinib will get a speedy FDA review after the agency granted priority review to the company’s new drug application.The company is specifically going after an approval to treat locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 20 insertion mutations whose disease has progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. Sunvozertinib won its world-first approval in China in 2023. UPDATED: Monday, Jan. 6 at 10:25 a.m. ETAmgen's DLL3-targeted bispecific antibody Imdylltra, known as Imdelltra in the U.S., has won a conditional marketing authorization from the U.K.'s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency as a third-line therapy for small cell lung cancer.The conditional nod is based on results from the phase 2 DeLLphi-301 trial, which showed that the T-cell engager triggered a tumor response rate of 41%, with the median response lasting 9.7 months. It follows an FDA approval in May 2024.China has approved Astellas' first-in-class Claudin 18.2 drug Vyloy, following similar moves by drug regulators in Japan and the U.S.The drug's Chinese indication is in first-line, CLDN18.2-positive, HER2-negative advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. The CLDN18.2 biomarker is expressed by about 35% of Chinese stomach cancer patients, according to Astellas.The approval was backed by two global phase 3 trials, dubbed Glow and Spotlight, which evaluated Vyloy in combination with the chemotherapy regimens CAPOX and mFOLFOX6, respectively. Both trials linked the drug's chemo combo to longer life expectancy and progression-free survival time compared with chemo alone.UPDATED: Friday, Jan. 3 at 2:45 p.m. ETGSK’s IL-5 inhibitor Nucala scored a nod in China to treat people with inadequately controlled chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), a condition that impacts nearly 30 million people in China.The drug was approved by China’s National Medical Products Administration for use as an add-on therapy along with intranasal corticosteroids for patients with CRSwNP who don’t achieve adequate disease control with systemic corticosteroids or surgery. The indication is Nucala’s third in China and comes after prior approvals in eosinophilic asthma and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis.An FDA advisory committee panel is scheduled to discuss the merits of Novartis’ oral factor B inhibitor Fabhalta in the rare kidney disease C3 glomerulopathy (C3G).The Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee will meet on February 24, according to an FDA document (PDF). The drug was approved by the agency in 2023 as a treatment for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, winning the title of the first oral monotherapy approved for the rare blood disorder. Fabhalta received a second nod for immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) in August.In studies, Fabhalta proved that it could reduce proteinuria for C3G patients, a marker for delaying progression to kidney failure. So far, there are no approved treatments for the ultra-rare disease, which causes about 50% of patients to progress to kidney failure within ten years of diagnosis. UPDATED: Thursday, Jan. 2 at 1:45 p.m. ETShortly before the new year, Merck & Co. scored an approval for its potential blockbuster Winrevair in the U.K. The pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) drug, which also goes by the name sotatercept, was originally picked up via Merck’s $11.5 billion acquisition of Acceleron back in 2021.The U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved Winrevair in combination with other PAH therapies to improve exercise capacity in adult patients who live with moderate or marked limitations of physical activity.Patients with PAH suffer from high blood pressure in the blood vessels that supply the lungs, which can ultimately damage the right side of the heart. Winrevair, for its part, targets the causes of PAH responsible for the narrowing of the arteries in the lungs, in turn making it easier for the heart to pump blood to the pair of organs, according to the U.K. government’s release.The MHRA based its approval on a study of 323 PAH patients that saw Winrevair best placebo at improving exercise ability. The main measure of effectiveness in the trial was the difference in distance patients could walk in six minutes before and after treatment.At the trial’s 24-week treatment mark, patients on Winrevair plus other PAH medicines improved their walking distance by around 34 meters, versus one meter in patients who received placebo.Merck’s U.K. nod for Winrevair follows green lights from the U.S. FDA last March and the European Commission in August.At the time of the drug’s U.S. approval last year, J.P. Morgan’s Chris Schott estimated Winrevair could eventually reel in peak sales between $3 billion and $4 billion.