Muvalaplin

Novo Nordisk's China obesity deal, Merck's cardiovascular licensing deal, and an FDA rejection for Hengrui and Elevar's PD-1 combo made our news this week. Novo Nordisk snapped up an obesity asset from China's United Laboratories in a deal worth up to $2 billion. Merck & Co. got a lipoprotein(a) inhibitor from Jiangsu Hengrui Pharma for cardiovascular disease. Hengrui and Elevar Therapeutics' PD-1 liver cancer combination was again tripped up by manufacturing at the FDA.1. Novo Nordisk pens $2B deal for triple G agonist tied to 15% weight loss at 12 weeksNovo Nordisk has bought into the “triple G” idea, gaining a GLP-1/GIP/glucagon triple agonist from China’s United Laboratories for up to $2 billion. The candidate, coded UBT251, would be a direct competitor to Eli Lilly’s retatrutide. In a phase 1b trial, weekly UBT251 at the highest subcutaneous dose of 6 mg led to an average 15.1% weight loss from baseline after 12 weeks.2. Merck & Co. pens $200M upfront deal for Hengrui's midstage heart disease medIn another China deal potentially worth up to $2 billion, Merck & Co. is paying $200 million upfront for a phase 2 lipoprotein(a) inhibitor from Hengrui Pharma. Elevated Lp(a) in the blood, as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, has become an increasingly popular target. Lilly has a clinical candidate called muvalaplin, and AstraZeneca last year licensed a preclinical one from China’s CSPC Pharma.3. FDA rejects Hengrui, Elevar's PD-1 cancer drug combination—againIn a piece of bad news for Hengrui, the FDA has once again rejected its Elevar Therapeutics-partnered combination of the PD-1 inhibitor camrelizumab and VEGFR inhibitor rivoceranib. Like the first rejection last year, the FDA this time also raised problems with Hengrui’s camrelizumab manufacturing facility in China.4. AbbVie takes Genmab to court, accusing partner of being 'willfully blind' to ADC trade secret theftAbbVie has sued Genmab over the Danish company’s $1.8 billion acquisition of Sino-American biotech ProfoundBio last year. The Illinois pharma alleged that Genmab was “intentionally and willfully blind” to Profound’s alleged theft of its antibody-drug conjugate trade secrets. Genmab said it “categorically refutes allegations and will vigorously defend the company.”5. J&J combo signals new era in EGFR lung cancer with survival win against AstraZeneca's TagrissoJohnson & Johnson’s Rybrevant and its Yuhan-partnered Lazcluze significantly reduced the risk of death by 25% versus AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso in first-line EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer, according to a high-stakes readout from the phase 3 Mariposa trial. J&J believes the overall survival win sets the combo up to be the new standard of care. But the high-maintenance nature of the regimen poses a challenge.6. Drugmakers fear Trump tariffs will drive up manufacturing costs, hurt medicine access: BIO surveyTrump again threatens tariffs on pharmaceuticals in 'not too distant' futurePresident Donald Trump said his administration will announce tariffs on pharmaceuticals “in the not too distant” future. But in a recent survey conducted by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, a large proportion of biopharma companies polled said tariffs on EU, Canada or China will drive up manufacturing costs. Many respondents also fear that tariffs could disrupt R&D and regulatory plans.7. FDA calls out 'particularly concerning' claims on HCP site for Taiho's LytgobiThe FDA has taken issue with Taiho Oncology’s doctor-facing web page for the cholangiocarcinoma drug Lytgobi. The agency raised concerns that some descriptions of the drug’s overall survival and progression-free survival data from a single-arm phase 2 study were misleading. The agency is giving the firm 15 working days to submit a written response.8. Eisai lays out road map to blockbuster sales projections for Leqembi's 'milestone' 2027 year9. Contractors WuXi Bio, WuXi XDC eye continued growth after logging solid performances in 202410. Gavi terminates COVID vaccine deal with Clover, demands $224M repayment11. Ascletis slashes funding for former core programs in pivot to obesity12. ImmuneOnco axes CD47 bispecific as pipeline prioritization pressures hit Chinese biotech13. India's Aspen Biopharma Labs hit with FDA warning letter citing infrastructure, contamination and records problems14. Biotech designed to commercialize Ascendis' endocrinology drugs in China files $86M IPO15. Bharat Biotech enters cell and gene therapy market with $75M production investment: reports16. Bayer gains Puhe’s cancer drug candidate in another China deal (release)17. Kaken agrees to $180M deal to develop Alumis' lead TYK2 inhibitor in Japan