Tightening of U.S. regulation and capital is leading Chinese biotechs to alternative and new models of financing, ranging from cross-border licensing deals, M&As, the so-called newco model and overseas listings.
Europe was a bigger counterpart to China in pharmaceutical dealmaking than the U.S. last year, speakers at Chinabio Partnering Forum said April 23, and the trend is likely to continue in 2025 with the shuttering of U.S. capital and volatility ailing global markets.
The intriguing VEGFxPD-1 bispecific antibody space gained oomph with phase III results disclosed April 23 by Akeso Pharmaceuticals Inc. related to Harmoni-6, testing ivonescimab in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy compared with Tevimbra (tislelizumab, Beigene Ltd.), a PD-1 inhibitor also paired with platinum-based chemo in patients with locally advanced or metastatic squamous non-small-cell lung cancer irrespective of PD-L1 expression. Those data were followed by a green light from the U.S. FDA April 24 for marketing the PD-1 monoclonal antibody penpulimab in combination with cisplatin or carboplatin and gemcitabine for the first-line treatment of adult recurrent or metastatic non-keratinizing nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Orum Therapeutics Inc. on April 26 pulled the plug on a U.S.-based phase I study of ORM-5029, its lead oncology degrader antibody conjugate (DAC) asset, a decision that came months after the company first reported a patient death in November 2024.
Another complete response letter from the U.S. FDA for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s age-related macular degeneration (AMD) therapy Eylea (aflibercept) – along with disappointing sales of the VEGF inhibitor – dented shares (NASDAQ:REGN) by $41.95. They closed April 29 at $568.91, having traded as low as $542.44 during the day.
Stealth Biotherapeutics Inc., and, more importantly, patients with Barth syndrome, faced another disappointing delay April 29 when the U.S. FDA kicked its approval decision down the road for Stealth’s elamipretide.
With April 29 being Day 100 for U.S. President Donald Trump, his staff observed the day by touting the achievements of the administration’s first 100 days in office, especially new commitments made by the private sector to invest more than $5 trillion in U.S.-based manufacturing, R&D, infrastructure and technology.
The Heart Rhythm Society and American College of Cardiology published guidance for same-day discharge of cardiac ablation patients during Heart Rhythm 2025, the society’s annual meeting, which was held in San Diego April 26-27.
Using step counts and heart rate readings from Google’s Fitbit devices, a machine learning model accurately predicted the risk of hospitalization, a study presented at Heart Rhythm 2025 found. The study used data from participants in the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us research program.
The first 100 days of the Trump administration have been nothing short of chaotic, both in the U.S. and throughout the world. Shining a light through the uncertainty, BioWorld continues to cover the administration’s latest policy decisions and actions affecting the life sciences sector, as well as their impacts across the globe. It’s all right here at Trump administration impacts.
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