After reaching their peaks in late November, both the BioWorld Drug Developers Index and the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index finished the year slightly down from those highs.
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.
The U.S. FDA approved 18 drugs in November, down from 20 in October, bringing the total number of clearances to 199 through the first 11 months of the year. The number is about 5% lower than the 209 approvals recorded over the same period in 2024 but more than every prior year.
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc. won U.S. FDA approval of plozasiran in familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS), the second drug to gain clearance for use in the rare genetic disease following the late 2024 nod for Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s Tryngolza (olezarsen), setting up a battle in the marketplace even as the firms wage a patent dispute regarding the two RNA-based therapies.
Drug developer stocks strengthened further through September and October, with the BioWorld Drug Developers Index (BDDI) rising from a 7.69% gain at the end of August, to 24.91% through the third quarter and 28.96% at October’s close. The BDDI outperformed both the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which finished October up 24.49% and 11.8%, respectively.
In its second deal with Novartis AG of the past 11 months, Monte Rosa Therapeutics Inc. is getting $120 million up front to collaborate on developing molecular glue degraders to treat immune-mediated diseases. The agreement could swell to $5.7 billion for Monte Rosa.
In its second deal with Novartis AG of the past 11 months, Monte Rosa Therapeutics Inc. is getting $120 million up front to collaborate on developing molecular glue degraders to treat immune-mediated diseases. The agreement could swell to $5.7 billion for Monte Rosa.
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc. has filed a request for regulatory clearance in New Zealand to initiate a phase I/IIa trial of ARO-MAPT, the company’s investigational RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic being developed as a potential treatment for tauopathies, including Alzheimer’s disease.
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc. has announced a global licensing and collaboration agreement with Novartis AG for ARO-SNCA, Arrowhead’s preclinical stage siRNA therapy for the treatment of synucleinopathies such as Parkinson’s disease, and for additional targets.
