In a deal that could top $2 billion, China-based Innocare Pharma Ltd. licensed the worldwide development and commercialization rights to the BTK inhibitor orelabrutinib to Zenas Biopharma Inc. for multiple sclerosis and other indications aside from oncology. Zenas, of Waltham, Mass., is paying Innocare up-front and near-term milestone payments of up to $100 million in cash. In addition, commercial sales milestones could bring the amount to more than $2 billion. Zenas stock (NASDAQ:ZBIO) was up about 15% before the market opened but had settled to a 7.3% increase at midday, with shares going for $22.38 each.

Jascayd nod could set stage for resurgence in IPF drug market

More than a decade after the last idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) treatment gained U.S. FDA approval, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH’s Jascayd (nerandomilast) is set to hit the market. The drug, an orally administered preferential inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 4B with breakthrough therapy status, received the FDA’s nod following a priority review based on phase III data demonstrating its ability to slow disease progression. The approval offers a new treatment option for IPF patients, with analysts looking ahead to an advancing IPF pipeline with candidates from companies such as United Therapeutics Inc. and Puretech Health plc.

Bio Japan 2025: Nobel Prizes invigorate Japan’s bio industry

Bio Japan 2025 was abuzz with the news that Japan has once again snagged the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, with Shimon Sakaguchi winning for his discovery of a subtype of CD4-expressing T cells that affect the immune response. Earlier today, Susumu Kitagawa snatched the second Nobel Prize for Japan, this time in chemistry. Both Nobel Prize winners were professors at Kyoto University. Japan generated much excitement when Shinya Yamanaka from Kyoto won the Nobel Prize in 2012 for his discovery that mature cells could be reprogrammed to become pluripotent stem cells, but despite the initial enthusiasm and attempts to build up academic centers to embrace the new field, Japan has not delivered as expected. Japan has the highest number of innovative companies globally, but it has struggled to commercialize these opportunities, said Yujiro Tanaka, president and chief academic officer of the Institute of Science Tokyo.

Chemistry Nobel’s applications could include biopharma, though translation is slow

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry “is a story full of holes, but with enormous capacity to absorb all your attention,” Heiner Linke told reporters. “And other things.” Linke is chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry. On Oct. 8, 2025, the committee announced that it has awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi “for the development of metal-organic frameworks” (MOFs). The general feature of MOFs is that they are able to capture and store specific molecules.

ESGCT 2025: Redefining CAR T cells across cancer and autoimmunity

As the many challenges facing cell therapies are being addressed, the CAR T field continues to evolve beyond its original design of T cells engineered to target hematological malignancies. During the 32nd Annual Congress of the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ESGCT), held in Seville Oct. 7-10, several studies showed how this technology is being redefined as programmable and adaptable immune cells with expanded functional versatility. CAR T therapies face key limitations, such as variable patient responses, poor persistence and, sometimes, severe toxicities. In addition, the influence of certain genes could reduce their effectiveness, adaptability and long-term therapeutic impact.

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