Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s oral TYK2 inhibitor zasocitinib (TAK-279) demonstrated statistical superiority over Bristol Myers Squibb Co.’s first-in-class Sotyktu (deucravacitinib) in a top-line phase III Latitude Atlas readout of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (PsO). Takeda gained the oral TYK2 inhibitor from a takeover of Boston-based Nimbus Therapeutics LLC’s wholly owned subsidiary, Nimbus Lakshmi Inc., in 2022. Under the terms, Takeda paid $4 billion cash up front, topped with two potential milestone payments of $1 billion each tied to achieving annual net sales of $4 billion and $5 billion. The Latitude Atlas readout, announced June 11, pushes zasocitinib into a busy PsO therapeutics arena and into direct competition with other TYK2 inhibitors including Sotyktu, U.S. FDA-approved in September 2022.

MBX reports full phase II HP Avail data with canvuparatide

Shares of MBX Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ:MBX) dipped 10%, or $3.80, to trade at $33.45 after the Carmel, Ind.-based firm unveiled full results from the 12-week Avail phase II trial and new one-year data from the ongoing open-label extension study of once-weekly parathyroid hormone peptide prodrug canvuparatide in adult patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism (HP). Mizuho analyst Uy Ear said the data “met company expectations and [are] broadly aligned with our investor survey, which anticipated efficacy parity with Yorvipath (palopegteriparatide),” the HP parathyroid hormone analog for which Ascendis Pharma Inc. won U.S. FDA clearance in August 2024. Canvuparatide achieved a 57% composite responder rate (CRR) at 52 weeks, comparable to about 64% one-year CRR with Yorvipath, as reported on the label.

China partnerships drive biopharma's biggest month since 2023

May's $41.78 billion biopharma deal value was the third-highest single month on record, trailing only October 2023 and December 2022, and pushed the year's total to an unprecedented $135.36 billion through five months. Two landmark U.S.-China partnerships – Bristol Myers Squibb Co.'s $15.2 billion collaboration with Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. and Pfizer Inc.'s $10.5 billion deal with Innovent Biologics Inc. – accounted for the bulk of the month's value.

Oricell brings first pivotal-stage CAR T in liver cancer

Oricell Therapeutics Holdings Ltd.’s glypican-3 (GPC3)-targeted autologous CAR T therapy, Ori-C101, is heading into a confirmatory registration phase II trial in patients with GPC3-positive advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), positioning it as the first GPC3-directed immune cell therapy – and the first CAR T therapy for liver cancer – to reach that stage of development. If successful, Ori-C101 could become the first approved CAR T therapy for HCC, a meaningful milestone in a tumor type where systemic treatment options have improved but durable responses remain limited, particularly after second-line therapy. The program also strengthens China’s role in the next wave of solid tumor cell therapy development.

Industry calls for greater competitiveness incentives in EU Biotech Act

The industry is in support of the EU Biotech Act but says it needs to go further to restore Europe’s competitive position in biopharma. Instead of incremental adjustments, there should be wide-ranging change to create a system that supports the full lifecycle of drug development, from academic research and clinical development, to manufacturing and commercialization. As the act works its way through the EU legislative mills, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations has set out its position, and has included an impact assessment of the European Commission’s proposal for supplementary protection certificates to extend market exclusivity by 12 months.

EHA 2026: With new lenses, a changing view on pediatric cancers

In the most simplistic view, adult cancers occur because “immature cells are exposed to mutagens, accumulate mutations, and across life ultimately transform into cancer cells,” Franck Bourdeaut told his audience at the 2026 Annual Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA 2026). “On the contrary, in pediatric cancers, it is assumed that very few mutations are responsible for a maturation block, make these cells derail from their normal differentiation trajectory and ultimately result in an early onset typical pediatric cancer.” With the advent of more sophisticated sequencing techniques, that view has been changing. Pediatric tumors, too, can have a high mutational burden. And in his talk at Friday’s plenary session, Bourdeaut, who is a pediatric neuro-oncologist at the Curie Institute and a professor of pediatrics at Paris-Cité University, argued that the gap between what we call germline variants and what we call late somatic mutations is “quite artificial” and overly abrupt.

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