The U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Agency (MHRA) has committed to major reforms of how it regulates drugs for rare diseases, making it easier to run clinical trials and get approvals. The new rules will be published in full early in 2026 and come into effect later in the year, but following consultation with industry, academics and patients’ groups, the agency has released a position paper setting out its plans.
Pfizer Inc. has delivered on its threat of legal action against the attempt by Novo Nordisk A/S to scupper its acquisition of Metsera Inc., and has filed two lawsuits, one alleging breach of contract, and a second claiming that a merger of Novo Nordisk and Metsera would violate antitrust regulations.
Neurodegeneration specialist Vesper Bio ApS has announced positive results from the phase Ib/II trial of its oral sortilin inhibitor VES-001 in frontotemporal dementia. The small study involved six participants who had not progressed to symptomatic disease but were carriers of mutations in the GRN gene that codes for progranulin, a growth factor that is essential for neuronal health.
Pfizer Inc. is threatening legal action at an attempt by Novo Nordisk A/S to scupper its acquisition of Metsera Inc., with an unsolicited $9 billion offer for the anti-obesity specialist. That trumps Pfizer’s agreed bid made in September, which valued New York-based Metsera at $7.3 billion.
An examination of X-ray and MRI scans of 518 patients before and after treatment with Levicept Ltd.’s Levi-04 has shown that, in addition to providing significant analgesia, the selective neurotrophin-3 inhibitor may have a disease-modifying effect in osteoarthritis of the knee.
French VC Andera Partners has reached the first close of its Biodiscovery Fund 7 at more than €300 million (US$349 million) and says it is on track to surpass the size of the previous fund, which closed at €456 million during the pandemic-driven boom of 2021.
U.K. biotech companies raised 46% less in the third quarter (Q3) of 2025 than in the previous quarter, at £187 million (US$249.3 million). The Q3 2025 figure was also in the shade compared to Q1 2025, when biotechs raised £881 million, and 73% less than in Q3 2024.
French VC Andera Partners has reached the first close of its Biodiscovery Fund 7 at more than €300 million (US$349 million) and says it is on track to surpass the size of the previous fund, which closed at €456 million during the pandemic-driven boom of 2021.
Ipsen SA is expanding its cancer portfolio with the €1 billion (US$1.16 billion) acquisition of immuno-oncology specialist Imcheck SAS, and will pay €350 million up front with the balance to come in regulatory and sales-based milestones for the lead program ICT-01.
Newco Elevara Medicines Ltd. has raised $70 million in a series A to fund a phase IIa/IIb trial of ELV-001, a first-in-class, oral cyclin dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor, in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who do not have an adequate response to methotrexate and anti-TNF biologic therapies.
