Novartis gains global rights to an Arvinas protein degrading drug that targets the androgen receptor to treat prostate cancer. The deal also includes a preclinical molecule addressing an androgen receptor variant.
Placing research in the hands of a large pharmaceutical company is a goal of many biotech companies. IFM Therapeutics has now done it three times and its latest deal is the second time Novartis is the acquirer.
Novartis’s €2.7B acquisition of MorphoSys brings two cancer drug candidates, one of which would give the pharmaceutical giant a way to stand apart from other myelofibrosis treatments. In a separate deal, MorphoSys sold to Incyte its rights to a partnered blood cancer drug.
Two months after announcing an inquiry into reports of new cancers in patients treated with CAR T-cell therapies, the FDA is directing makers of these therapies to add new safety warnings to product labels describing this risk. Companies have 30 calendar days to comply.
Johnson & Johnson’s acquisition of antibody drug conjugate developer Ambrx Biopharma comes as Novartis and Merck also unveiled M&A deals on the first day of the J.P. Morgan Healthcare conference. In a report, the bank said big pharmas are looking for deals involving de-risked assets.
Novartis is paying Voyager Therapeutics $100 million up front to collaborate on gene therapies for Huntington’s disease and spinal muscular atrophy. The deal builds on a relationship the companies started in 2022.
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Novartis drug iptacopan, which won its first FDA approval in early December in a rare blood disorder, has met the main goal of a pivotal test in an ultra-rare kidney disease. The small molecule’s potential to address many diseases has stirred up blockbuster expectations.
FDA approval of Novartis’s Fabhalta makes the drug the first approved oral therapy for rare blood disorder paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. With clinical data showing superiority versus two infused AstraZeneca drugs, Novartis’s pill is well-positioned to take market share from those blockbuster products.
Novartis gains global rights to Legend Biotech cell therapies that address DLL3, a promising target for lung cancers and other types of solid tumors. The pharmaceutical giant may make these therapies using T-Charge, its next-generation CAR T-cell therapy manufacturing technology.
Celldex drug barzolvolimab has mid-stage results in a chronic inflammatory skin disease that top those of an approved Genentech drug and two experimental Novartis therapies. The biotech is preparing to advance its drug to Phase 3 testing in 2024.
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
Novartis drug candidate atrasentan met the main goal of a pivotal study in the chronic kidney disease IgA nepropathy. It’s one of two drugs added via the multi-billion dollar acquisition of Chinook Therapeutics; together with a homegrown therapeutic candidate, they give Novartis three different approaches to treat the rare disorder.
Acquiring Point Biopharma gives Eli Lilly a pipeline of radiopharmaceuticals, including one for prostate cancer that could rival Novartis’s Pluvicto. The deal comes ahead of an expected Phase 3 data readout for that Point therapeutic candidate.
Novartis’s iptacopan met the first of two main goals in its pivotal study in immunoglobulin A nephropathy, and the pharma giant plans to seek accelerated FDA approval next year. The drug could challenge two available therapies for the rare kidney disorder.
BeiGene welcomes the return of the immunotherapy’s rights as an opportunity to make it the backbone of its solid tumors strategy. But Novartis cedes an opportunity to gain a competitor to established cancer immunotherapies from Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb.
Novartis became the seventh drugmaker to legally challenge the White House’s Medicare drug pricing negotiation program. The company filed its lawsuit three days after HHS announced the first 10 drugs that were selected for the program — its heart failure medication Entresto was one on the list. HHS can expect to face more lawsuits from the manufacturers of the 10 drugs it named last week, experts have warned.
