News

The Alzheimer’s disease drug, Leqembi (lecanemab), has been approved in the US for a new dosing schedule enabling patients to continue taking it after 18 months of treatment. The new maintenance indication will enable dosing once every four weeks using an intravenous administration. It will take effect after the 18-month initiation phase of bi-weekly dosing finishes. Leqembi has been approved for patients with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia, also known as early Alzheimer’s disease.

Netherlands-based Forbion has raised €164.5 million for a fund that supports projects in the food, agriculture, materials and environmental sectors. Founded in late 2023, the BioEconomy Fund I represents a different branch of the biological sciences than Forbion’s traditional pharmaceutical holdings. The goal is to support environmentally-friendly businesses that can shape future behaviour and consumption.

Shanghai, China-based YolTech Therapeutics Co Ltd has started clinical development of an in-vivo gene editing product for beta-thalassaemia, an inherited blood disorder that is estimated to involve one in every 100,000 patients worldwide. The disease affects the production of normal haemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to tissues in the body.

AstraZeneca Plc is to invest $570 million in infrastructure in Canada with the goal of executing more than 210 global clinical studies in the country. Announced on 23 January, the investment accelerates a move to place Canada on its map as a centre for global clinical development activity. It follows the UK company’s acquisition in 2024 of Fusion Pharmaceuticals Inc, a Canadian biopharmaceutical company developing alpha-particle radiotherapeutics for cancer. The acquisition of Fusion was completed last year for C$3 billion ($2.09 billion).

A communications pause reportedly ordered by the Trump administration to the US federal health agencies and affecting their communications to the public and external partners had not been formally notified to the EU effective 24 January. The pause took effect on 21 January and is expected to continue through 1 February, according to the Washington Post, which obtained information about the pause from two internal memos. The pause was not publically announced. 

Citing the importance of the World Health Organization in maintaining global healthcare, a spokesperson for the European Commission said on 21 January that dialogue with the Trump Administration is the best way forward in addressing any shortcomings of the agency. “We need common solutions for common problems. We need to engage together,” she commented.

TILT Biotherapeutics Ltd is a Finnish company developing oncolytic virus therapies for cancer. Its lead product, TILT-123 is poised to enter Phase 2 studies in patients with ovarian cancer after having demonstrated that it is safe and able to elicit responses from patients. In an interview, Victor Cervera-Carrascón, the company’s head of business development, gave three reasons why he thought the time is optimal for the biotech industry to pay more attention to oncolytic therapies.

Gilead Sciences Inc. has agreed to spend up to $1.7 billion to acquire rights to a package of preclinical assets directed against inflammatory diseases from LEO Pharma A/S of Denmark. Founded in 1908 and majority owned by a foundation, LEO has a global commercial presence in dermatology. The collaboration with Gilead will give the company financial support to further develop a small molecule programme for the treatment of multiple inflammatory diseases including atopic dermatitis, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

GSK Plc is to pay $1 billion upfront and potentially $150 million in milestone payments for IDRx Inc of the US which has an early clinical stage product for the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST). The deal was announced at the start of the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, US, on 13 January. It marks a significant expansion of the UK company’s portfolio.

Johnson & Johnson Inc is to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Intra-Cellular Therapies Inc of the US in a deal that will significantly strengthen its neuroscience franchise. The transaction will be executed at $132 per share in cash for a total equity value of $14.6 billion. Announced on 13 January, the deal is the largest biotech merger since 2023, according to the Axios news website. The lead asset Caplyta (lumateperone), is an approved therapy for the treatment of adults with schizophrenia and depressive episodes associated with bipolar 1 or 2 disorder.