Astellas' CEO said he doesn't want to make acquisitions simply to fill a revenue gap. Takeda is preparing for Trintellix's U.S. patent expiry with a round of layoffs. Chugai's CEO is seeking name recognition as the Roche unit looks for more external partners. And more.
1. JPM26: Astellas CEO resists 'rescue BD' as $6B Xtandi patent cliff nears
Despite Xtandi’s upcoming patent cliff in 2027, Astellas CEO Naoki Okamura said the company doesn’t want to do “rescue BD” just to fill the upcoming revenue gap. Astellas has not been defined by therapeutic areas or modalities, but it intends to prioritize internal research and business development on four areas.
2. Takeda's neuroscience field force hit with layoffs as key patent loss looms for Trintellix
Takeda is laying off 243 field-based employees in the U.S. The cuts affect Takeda’s neuroscience business as the company navigates the upcoming loss of exclusivity for depression drug Trintellix, a company spokesperson said. Takeda is channeling resources toward “multiple potential new medication launches in the U.S. that are generating more than 400 new commercial field roles,” the spokesperson said.
3. JPM26: Chugai chases new science and name recognition from US biopharma industry
Roche’s Chugai invented the popular hemophilia drug Hemlibra and Eli Lilly’s oral GLP-1 orforglipron. Now, the Japanese pharma is seeking name recognition as its mid- to long-term strategy involves shifting away from its history as an internal R&D powerhouse to bring in more external partners, Chugai’s CEO Osamu Okuda, Ph.D., said.
4. JPM26: Fujifilm CEO touts biologics capacity edge amid expansion tear
After a series of acquisitions dating back to the 2011 acquisition of Merck & Co.’s biomanufacturing network, Fujifilm is focusing its CDMO unit—Fujifilm Biotechnologies— on expanding internally, group CEO Teiichi Goto said. The CDMO arm recently opened a massive new biomanufacturing plant in North Carolina and is already adding eight more large-scale bioreactors there, he said.
5. GSK pays $2.2B to buy Rapt for its phase 2-stage food allergy challenger to Xolair
GSK is paying $2.2 billion to buy Rapt Therapeutics. The centerpiece of the deal is ozureprubart, an anti-immunoglobulin E antibody Rapt licensed from China’s Jemincare Pharmaceutical a year ago and advanced into a phase 2b study as a prophylactic in food allergy. The deal draws a comparison to GSK’s 2024 acquisition of Aiolos Bio for a long-acting TSLP antibody that the young biotech had just licensed from Hengrui Pharma.
6. Tanabe Pharma's oral drug scores in ph. 3 rare disease study, though details remain in the dark
Tanabe Pharma’s dersimelagon (MT-7117) has hit the main goal of a phase 3 trial for patients with rare inherited disorders that cause extreme sensitivity to sunlight. The oral melanocortin-1 receptor agonist outperformed placebo on time to onset and severity of first early symptoms tied to sun exposure, according to the company.
Shionogi is picking up Pfizer’s 11.7% interest in the HIV-focused joint venture ViiV Healthcare. The Japanese pharma is shelling out $2.125 billion to boost its stake in ViiV from 10% to 21.7%, while majority owner GSK gains a special dividend of $250 million. Shionogi gained its original stake in ViiV in 2012 by selling its HIV portfolio to the business.
Other News of Note:
8. ARPA-H director eyes future beyond vaccines, 'winning the biotech race' against China
9. Corxel secures $287M series D to fund phase 2/3 obesity studies of oral GLP-1 drug
11. AstraZeneca pens $630M pact to secure remaining rights to armored CAR-T from AbelZeta
12. GSK licenses Alteogen enzyme in bid to develop subQ Jemperli
14. CEPI bankrolls $30M Ebola vaccine collaboration with Merck, SK Bioscience and others