More than two years after signing a $1.7 billion deal with Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Protagonist Therapeutics Inc. has opted out of a 50-50 U.S. profit-and-loss sharing arrangement for its hepcidin mimetic peptide, rusfertide, a priority review drug developed to treat adults with polycythemia vera.
U.S. FDA drug approvals totaled 19 in March 2026, matching February and showing a solid level of regulatory activity, though slightly below the 22 approvals recorded in March 2025 and under the spike of 30 seen in March 2024.
Data presented at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) meeting have put the spotlight on the arrival of target-selective oral therapies that are set to challenge injected biologics in terms of efficacy, while offering greater convenience and improving access to treatment.
Awaiting the potential U.S. FDA approval of a second product this year, Protagonist Therapeutics Inc. with partner Johnson & Johnson won the go-ahead for oral peptide Icotyde (icotrokinra), an IL-23 receptor antagonist, to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults and pediatric patients 12 and older who weigh at least 40 kg and who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy.
As Wall Street awaits key phase III data from Abivax SA with microRNA-124 (miR-124)-targeting obefazimod in ulcerative colitis, due this quarter, the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) space – which also takes in Crohn’s disease – continues to grow and shift with new findings across varied fronts.
More phase III data coursed through the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference on Sunday, as Protagonist Therapeutics Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. led the charge with positive results for its potential blockbuster rusfertide in treating a rare leukemia.
More phase III data coursed through the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference on Sunday, as Protagonist Therapeutics Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. led the charge with positive results for its potential blockbuster rusfertide in treating a rare leukemia.
Researchers from Protagonist Therapeutics Inc. reported the preclinical characterization of PN-881, an oral macrocyclic peptide that inhibits the dimeric forms of IL-17 – AA, AF, and FF.
Rusfertide could become a blockbuster therapy for polycythemia vera, H.C. Wainwright analyst Douglas Tsao wrote March 4 after the injectable hepcidin mimetic peptide hit its primary endpoint and all four key secondary endpoints in the ongoing phase III Verify study.
