The U.S. FDA approved 17 drugs in July, down from 23 in June, bringing the year-to-date total to 125. Through July, 2025 remains the third-highest count in BioWorld’s records, trailing 135 approvals in 2024 and 126 in 2020.
After announcing in April that it would discontinue development of its lead candidate, sozinibercept (OPT-302), in wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), Opthea Ltd. has come to a settlement agreement that will allow it to avoid bankruptcy and continue operations.
South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) launched a new industry-academia-research consortium to support the nation’s organoid industry, expected to grow in light of the U.S. FDA’s shift away from animal testing in the development of novel drugs.
Remegen Co. Ltd. is out-licensing its VEGF/FGF dual-target fusion protein drug, RC28-E, to Santen Pharmaceutical (China) Co. Ltd. in a carve-out deal worth more than ¥1.3 billion (US$180 million).
Ribomic’s umedaptanib pegol (RBM-007) looks to have some advantages compared to competitors in the achondroplasia space, and the company plans to progress the oligonucleotide-based aptamer that targets anti fibroblast growth factor 2 to phase III trials, Ribomic’s business development head, Kihei Yamashita, told BioWorld.
Beone Medicines Ltd. (formerly Beigene Ltd.) is selling its worldwide royalty rights on Imdelltra (tarlatamab) sales, excluding China, to Royalty Pharma for up to $950 million.
Akeso Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s gumokimab (AK-111) and manfidokimab met all primary efficacy endpoints in its phase III trials in active ankylosing spondylitis and in moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, respectively.
Regulatory snapshots, including drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations in Asia-Pacific: Antengene, Biodlink, Sanofi.