With reduced sales and operating expectations for the rest of the year, Novo Nordisk A/S is on the receiving end of a huge stock drop. For a big pharma, where the stock drops are usually more modest, the shares (NASDAQ:NVO) fell off a cliff on July 29, closing 21.8% downward to $53.93 each, the lowest price per share in the past 12 months. Lower U.S. sales of semaglutide blockbusters Wegovy and Ozempic for treating obesity and diabetes are at the heart of the plunge. In May, the Danish company had expected 13% to 21% sales growth but now is looking at only 8% to 14%.
Trinity Biotech plc recently unveiled CGM+, an AI-native, wearable biosensor that goes beyond traditional continuous glucose monitors and tracks glucose levels, cardiovascular activity and body temperature at the same time. The company believes that as precision medicine becomes central to health care, especially with the collection of real-time data, CGM+ will become a critical enabler of AI-based diagnostics, behavioral coaching and chronic disease management.
Danish vaccines manufacturer Bavarian Nordic A/S is to be taken private in a DKK233 per-share deal valuing the company at DKK19 billion (US$2.97 billion). The deal needs the support of 90% of Bavarian Nordic shareholders to go through, and as things stand may not reach that target because it does not have the support of the largest shareholder, the Danish pension fund ATP, which owns 10.17%.
Pharmaceutical exports from the EU to the U.S. are facing a leap in tariffs from zero duty to 15%, following the trade deal between EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. President Donald Trump sealed in Scotland July 27.
The European Commission approved up to €403 million ($472 million) in funding to support development of innovations in medical devices in the region. The funds will go towards 10 companies that incorporate novel digital and AI features into their solutions.
Memo Therapeutics AG is laying plans to advance its BK polyomavirus neutralizing monoclonal antibody potravitug into phase III development after reporting positive phase II results in treating infections in immunocompromised kidney transplant patients.
After a tough few weeks for Sarepta Therapeutics Inc., the EMA dealt another blow on July 25, announcing it will not be approving the Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy Elevidys (delandistrogene moxeparvovec). Re-examination of the file led to a happier outcome for another drug that has attracted considerable controversy, Eli Lilly and Co. Inc.’s Kisunla (donanemab) for treating the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
Roche Holding AG received CE mark for its Elecsys pTau181 test to help rule out Alzheimer’s disease. The minimally invasive blood test, developed in collaboration with Eli Lilly and Co., measures phosphorylated Tau 181 protein, a biomarker indicative of amyloid pathology, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s.
New guidance by the Medical Device Coordination Group spells out many of the routine aspects of compliance with the In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation, but test developers should remain aware of the tripwires in connection with modifications to both the test and the test’s performance studies.
Abivax SA is positioning to change the treatment landscape in ulcerative colitis after delivering positive results and a favorable safety profile in two phase III trials of its orally available miRNA-124 enhancer, obefazimod. Abivax stock rocketed in Europe and the U.S. on news of the data. Shares (Paris:ABVX) rose €45.40, or 510%, to close at €54.30 July 23. In the U.S., shares (NASDAQ:ABVX) leapt 586%, or $58.60, to close at $68.60.