Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH terminated its second metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) alliance on March 6, ending an $870 million license agreement inked with Yuhan Corp. for dual GLP-1/FGF21 agonist, BI-3006337 (YH-25724). Yuhan said March 7 that Boehringer, of Ingelheim, Germany, returned rights to YH-25724, a dual-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 and fibroblast growth factor 21 receptor agonist, based on the counterparty’s “strategic judgement” on developing MASH therapeutics.
Biopharma companies raised $2.98 billion through 59 transactions in February 2025, down from $5.91 billion across 93 deals in January. The year is off to a slower start compared to 2023, with the $9.14 billion raised in the first two months, marking a 73% drop from $33.29 billion during the same period last year. However, this year's total is higher than the $7.66 billion raised in the first two months of 2023 and the $7.48 billion in 2022.
Getting the Ensuring Pathways to Innovative Cures (EPIC) Act through the U.S. Congress to do away with the “pill penalty” in the Medicare drug price negotiations could require an epic effort, given the current politically fueled atmosphere on the Hill. With the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which created the negotiations, considered a signature achievement of the Biden administration, the negotiations have become, for many lawmakers, almost a sacred cow that can’t be touched. If anything, some of them want to expand the negotiations to more drugs and to the commercial market.
Yesterday’s first part of this two-part series surveyed bispecific antibodies for immunological and inflammatory (I&I) disease. Apart from bispecifics, Leerink analyst Thomas Smith lately has proven interested in I&I overall, unveiling his “five for 2025” in a January report that listed five indications with “potential for disruption” in the year ahead.
While the U.S. has historically led the global pharmaceutical industry by pursuing both continual innovation and high quality, those strengths could become areas of weakness in times of political uncertainty, according to PA Consulting expert Andy Prinz.
The recent series A financing by Bambusa Therapeutics Inc. to fund bispecific antibodies for immunological and inflammatory disorders proved investor faith in the new approach with a proven mechanism.
Several drugs already selected for Medicare price negotiations, including Novo Nordisk A/S’ mega-blockbuster diabetes/weight-loss franchise, could see up to a three-year reprieve if a bipartisan bill recently introduced in the U.S. House and Senate becomes law.
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