Monte Rosa Therapeutics Inc. followed up December’s positive prostate cancer data with strong interim findings from a phase I study with MRT-8102, a NEK7-directed molecular glue degrader in the works for inflammatory conditions driven by the NLRP3 inflammasome, IL-1, and IL-6.
Eye disease specialist Oculis SA is laying plans to branch out into multiple sclerosis (MS) after the phase II trials of its acute optic neuritis (AON) drug, privosegtor, showed it reduced levels of neurofilament release, a key biomarker of neuronal damage and neurodegeneration.
Biopharma industry zeal for obesity therapeutics does not appear to be dying down any time soon, with Eli Lilly and Co. entering a $1.3 billion deal with Nimbus Therapeutics LLC for a new small molecule, and Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc. rolling out phase I/IIa data of its RNAi therapeutics used in combination with Lilly’s GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist tirzepatide.
A would-be psoriasis winner began taking more distinct shape in the competitive oral tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitor space, and shares of Alumis Inc. (NASDAQ:ALMS) closed Jan. 6 at $16.23, up $7.92, or 95% – having traded as high as $22.30 – after unveiling positive top-line results from the phase III Onward1 and Onward2 trials with envudeucitinib (envu). Alumis CEO Martin Babler called 2026 “a value-inflection year. It starts today.”
With plans in place to launch global pivotal testing of GH-001, its inhaled version of psychedelic mebufotenin (5-MeO-DMT), in treatment-resistant depression in 2026, GH Research plc reported the lifting of a U.S. FDA clinical hold, enabling U.S. subject enrollment. The firm now will seek a meeting with the agency to discuss trial design.
Zenas Biopharma Inc.’s positive data from the phase III Indigo trial with obexelimab in immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) set investigators to speculating about the bifunctional antibody’s odds in the marketplace, as the Waltham, Mass.-based firm plans a BLA submission the U.S. FDA in the second quarter of this year.
BioWorld logged 170 clinical trial updates across phases I through III in November 2025, a decline from 252 updates in October and 230 in September, but higher than the 95 reported in August.
The strategy of taking aim at IL-4Ra (type I and II receptors) and IL-31 by way of a bispecific antibody in atopic dermatitis (AD) has not worked out as well as Johnson & Johnson (J&J) hoped when, last May, the firm paid $1.25 billion to bring the product aboard by acquiring Yellow Jersey Therapeutics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Numab Therapeutics AG.
Two phase III studies of setrusumab, Orbit and Cosmic, for treating brittle bones have failed and left the developers floundering on Wall Street. Neither of Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. and Mereo Biopharma Group plc’s studies of the monoclonal antibody in treating osteogenesis imperfecta hit statistical significance in their primary endpoints, though they did achieve their secondary endpoints. The companies are still looking at the numbers to determine their next steps.
Gene therapy has had its commercial struggles in the past year. The cost to patients is in the millions and fewer are stepping forward for treatment than companies would like. While development continues in this game-changing field, some have struggled with regulatory authorities during development while others have just stepped away altogether.
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