The first disease modifying therapies for Alzheimer’s may have limited utility in some senses, but they will be a force for change, providing momentum and altering the way governments as payers, and health systems as carers, think about the disease.

Astrazeneca plc is investing heavily in China, signing two R&D deals, worth up to about $8 billion in up-front payments and milestones combined, with Chinese companies Harbour Biomed Ltd. and Syneron Bio, establishing a joint venture with Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co. (Biokangtai) for vaccines, and creating a new R&D center in Beijing through another $2.5 billion investment.

The obesity market is driving pharma’s return on investment (ROI) upward, with the projected return rising to 5.9% overall in 2024, but only reaching 3.8% if GLP-1 assets are excluded. At the same time, the average cost of developing a drug continues to rise and now stands at $2.23 billion, compared to $2.12 billion in 2023, according to Deloitte’s 15th annual analysis of the ROI from pharmaceutical innovation.

Eight months after announcing the $18.5 million first tranche of its series A, Augustine Therapeutics has closed the oversubscribed round at $85 million and is now ready to begin clinical development of its novel histone deacetylase-6 (HDAC6) inhibitors.

Astrazeneca plc is investing heavily in China, signing two R&D deals, worth up to about $8 billion in up-front payments and milestones combined, with Chinese companies Harbour Biomed Ltd. and Syneron Bio, establishing a joint venture with Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co. (Biokangtai) for vaccines, and creating a new R&D center in Beijing through another $2.5 billion investment.

Building upon its already impressive obesity drug portfolio, Novo Nordisk A/S has licensed a triple agonist of the receptors for GLP-1, GIP and glucagon from United Biotechnology Co. Ltd. China-based United is getting $200 million up front and the chance to earn up to $1.8 billion in milestone payments. United Biotechnology retains the rights to subcutaneously administered UBT-251, which is in the early stages of development for treating obesity, type 2 diabetes and other diseases, in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan while Bagsværd, Denmark-headquartered Novo get exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize the triple agonist receptor across the rest of the world.

Science ministers from 13 countries in Europe are calling on the European Union to offer a home to researchers affected by the Trump Administration’s cuts. They have written to EU research and innovation commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva asking her to organize a welcome “for brilliant talents from abroad who might suffer from research interference and ill-motivated and brutal funding cuts.”

Oxford Biotherapeutics Ltd. is partnering with Roche AG to expand the current field of tumor antigens that can be drugged with antibodies, as part of a potential $1 billion-plus agreement. The agreement will see Oxford Biotherapeutics apply its membrane protein discovery platform to search for novel cancer cell antigens, which will be validated through the research collaboration, with Roche then taking the lead in advancing any resulting antibody programs.

The U.S. foreign aid cuts and freezes that are taking place under President Donald Trump are putting at risk the global public health gains that have been made against diseases such as malaria, HIV and tuberculosis over the past two decades, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a March 17 media briefing, as he called on other countries to step up and fill the gap.