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Merck Expands Respiratory Portfolio With $10B Verona Acquisition
Merck & Co. has agreed to acquire Verona Pharma for approximately $10 billion, adding the inhaled dual inhibitor Ohtuvayre to its respiratory pipeline. Ohtuvayre, approved by the FDA in 2024 for...
AbbVie Invests $700M in Trispecific Antibody for Multiple Myeloma
AbbVie has agreed to pay $700 million upfront to IGI Therapeutics for licensing rights to ISB-2001, a trispecific antibody candidate targeting multiple myeloma. The antibody engages three...
FDA Implements Partial Transparency With Release of Drug Rejection Letters
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration published an initial batch of over 200 complete response letters (CRLs) detailing application deficiencies from drug approval processes between 2020 and 2024....
AI and Protein Design Propel New Advances Against Resistant Bacteria and Drug Discovery
Australian researchers used artificial intelligence to design de novo proteins that inhibit the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as Escherichia coli by blocking hemoglobin transporters...
Soleno Therapeutics Surpasses Expectations in Prader-Willi Syndrome Drug Launch
Soleno Therapeutics reported preliminary net sales of its Prader-Willi syndrome drug, Vykat XR, between $31 million and $33 million for Q2 2025, exceeding Wall Street forecasts. Since U.S....
Center for Pediatric CRISPR Therapies Founded to Expand Genome Editing Cures
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and the Innovative Genomics Institute have launched the Center for Pediatric CRISPR Cures, a $20 million project dedicated to developing personalized CRISPR-based...
Nuclidium and Actithera Secure Major Funding for Radiopharmaceutical Development
European radiopharmaceutical startups Nuclidium and Actithera have completed significant financing rounds to advance their platforms. Nuclidium raised approximately $99 million in Series B funding...
Advances in Diagnostics and Liquid Biopsy Expand Cancer and Disease Monitoring
University of Chicago researchers developed a liquid biopsy method utilizing microbiome-derived cell-free RNA methylation patterns to predict colorectal cancer more accurately than current...
Biopharma IPO, Layoffs, and Investment Landscape Reflect Market Caution
Biopharma financing in Q2 2025 grew modestly to $16 billion, up from Q1 but below historical highs. Despite available capital exceeding $55 billion across numerous venture funds, investment focus...
Merck’s $10 Billion Bet on COPD Drug Verona Pharma
Merck & Co. has agreed to acquire Verona Pharma for $10 billion, a significant move to bolster its respiratory portfolio as it prepares for the patent expiry of its cancer blockbuster Keytruda....
AbbVie Secures $700M Trispecific Antibody for Multiple Myeloma
AbbVie recently inked a licensing agreement with IGI Therapeutics and its subsidiary Ichnos Glenmark Innovation for a trispecific antibody, ISB-2001, targeting multiple myeloma and potentially...
FDA Publishes Complete Response Letters in Transparency Shift
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has for the first time publicly released over 200 complete response letters (CRLs) issued between 2020 and 2024 as part of a transparency initiative....
AI-Designed Protein Targets Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
Australian researchers from Monash University and collaborators employed artificial intelligence (AI) to design a novel protein that inhibits heme piracy by pathogenic Escherichia coli, a...
Radiopharmaceuticals Gain Momentum with Major Fundraises
Radiopharmaceutical companies Nuclidium and Actithera have raised significant funds to advance their drug pipelines. Nuclidium completed a $99 million Series B round to support clinical...
Soleno Therapeutics’ Prader-Willi Drug Surpasses Sales Expectations
Soleno Therapeutics reported that its Prader-Willi syndrome drug, Vykat XR, generated estimated net revenues between $31 million and $33 million in Q2 2025, exceeding Wall Street projections....
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and IGI Fund Pediatric CRISPR Center
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) and the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) have jointly funded the Center for Pediatric CRISPR Therapies with a $20 million grant. The Center aims to develop...
New AI Models Capture Complex Gene Networks in Cells
Researchers from Columbia University and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative have developed GREmLN, a graph-based artificial intelligence model designed to capture complex long-range gene regulatory...
Liquid Biopsy Using Microbial RNA Modifications Predicts Colorectal Cancer
Researchers at the University of Chicago introduced a novel liquid biopsy test employing modification patterns in microbiome-derived cell-free RNA to detect colorectal cancer (CRC) with superior...
Merck Boosts Respiratory Portfolio with $10 Billion Verona Buyout
Merck & Co. has agreed to acquire London-based Verona Pharma for $10 billion, integrating Verona's Ohtuvayre, a first-in-class dual inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 3 and 4 approved for chronic...
AbbVie Invests $700 Million in Trispecific Antibody for Multiple Myeloma
AbbVie announced a $700 million upfront payment to IGI Therapeutics for rights to ISB 2001, a trispecific antibody designed to bind three targets involved in multiple myeloma treatment. The...