More than a decade after the last idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) treatment gained U.S. FDA approval, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH’s Jascayd (nerandomilast) is set to hit the market following the agency’s green light on Oct. 7. While expected to offer a modest benefit over existing therapies, Jascayd, an orally administered preferential inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 4B with breakthrough therapy status, is viewed by analysts as the first of several potential advancements in the IPF space over the next few years.

In a deal that could top $2 billion, China-based Innocare Pharma Ltd. licensed the exclusive worldwide development and commercialization rights to the BTK inhibitor orelabrutinib to Zenas Biopharma Inc. for multiple sclerosis and other indications aside from oncology.

As the many challenges facing cell therapies are being addressed, the CAR T field continues to evolve beyond its original design of T cells engineered to target hematological malignancies. During the 32nd Annual Congress of the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ESGCT), held in Seville Oct. 7-10, several studies showed how this technology is being redefined as programmable and adaptable immune cells with expanded functional versatility.

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry “is a story full of holes, but with enormous capacity to absorb all your attention,” Heiner Linke told reporters. “And other things.” Linke is Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry. On Oct. 8, 2025, the committee announced that it has awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi “for the development of metal-organic frameworks” (MOFs).

Like the federal district court before it, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit said it lacks jurisdiction to rule on the merits of Novo Nordisk A/S’ claim that the CMS violated the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) when it treated six of the company’s insulin aspart products as one negotiation-eligible single-source drug.

Among severe insulin-deficient diabetes patients, 12 weeks of 100-mg, once-daily dosing of Biomea Fusion Inc.’s icovamenib lowered hemoglobin A1c by 1.8% from placebo at the 52-week timepoint, an increased benefit over and above what was seen at 26 weeks.

Lexeo Therapeutics Inc. feels like it’s in a faster lane to a BLA for its Friedreich ataxia cardiomyopathy gene therapy after talking with the U.S. FDA. The agency told Lexeo that LX-2006 could be on the accelerated approval path if there is a mingling of the company’s data and studies.