Pfizer is paying top dollar for a GLP-1 candidate from Fosun Pharma. Zealand Pharma penned a platform deal with brand new Chinese biotech OTR Therapeutics to work on drugs for metabolic diseases. China unveiled its first Commercial Health Insurance Innovative Drug Catalogue, recommending pricey therapies such as CAR-Ts for coverage by private insurance. And more.
1. Pfizer continues renewed obesity push with $150M upfront for Fosun unit's GLP-1 drug
Pfizer is paying a Fosun Pharma unit $150 million upfront for global rights to a GLP-1 agonist and other GLP-1 candidates the subsidiary has been working on. All milestones could reach $1.93 billion. Fosun has already started a phase 1 weight management study in Australia, and Pfizer plans to study the asset in combination with its GIPR antagonist PF-07976016 as well as other small molecules in its pipeline.
2. Zealand pens $2.5B oral cardiometabolic collab with fresh-faced Chinese biotech
Zealand Pharma struck a cardiometabolic collaboration with Shanghai-based biotech OTR Therapeutics, which just emerged in March. Zealand will pay up to $30 million upfront and up to $2.5 billion in potential milestones for rights to use OTR’s oral small-molecule platform to develop new metabolic disease therapies.
3. Meds from Pfizer, Lilly, J&J and more secure spots in China's 1st private insurance formulary
Nineteen novel drugs, including pricey CAR-T therapies and treatments from Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson, were selected for China’s first Commercial Health Insurance Innovative Drug Catalogue. The list, effective Jan. 1, 2026, prioritizes innovative, high-value medicines that exceed basic medical coverage under the well-established National Reimbursement Drug List pathway.
4. Biocon buys out Viatris and others from biosimilar subsidiary
Viatris sold its equity stake in the biosimilar outfit Biocon Biologics back to Biocon for $815 million. Together with other equity buyouts, Biocon can fully integrate its biosimilar unit. This move simultaneously allows Viatris to reenter the biosimilar market sooner after noncompete restrictions are lifted upon the transaction’s expected close in early 2026.
5. House passes defense budget bill with Biosecure included (Stat)
A tweaked version of the Biosecure Act has passed the House of Representative tucked in the annual defense budget bill. As its original version, Biosecure would have prohibited executive agencies from contracting with drugmakers that use services offered by companies with ties to the Chinese military. But the new text does not include names of specific companies. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget is tasked with coming up with a list within a year of the bill’s passage.
6. Wave, Structure stocks double on obesity data readouts
China's Ascletis reports 7.7% weight loss for oral GLP-1 contender in US phase 2 study
Sino-American biotech Structure Therapeutics reported a 11.3% placebo-adjusted average weight loss from a 120-mg dose of its once-daily oral GLP-1 candidate aleniglipron after 36 weeks in a phase 2b study. Meanwhile, a 60-mg dose of a daily oral GLP-1 drug from China’s Ascletis posted 7.7% placebo-adjusted mean weight loss at 13 weeks in a phase 2 U.S. study.
Other News of Note:
7. Chinese biotech led by AstraZeneca veteran reels in $108M for KRAS phase 3 plans
8. Pfizer Ventures gets behind Chinese biotech's $100M series A to boost R&D hub's capability
9. Dr. Reddy's pens $370M pact for rights to Immutep's phase 3-stage immunotherapy in certain markets
10. ASH: Merck mulls future of polycythemia program while Takeda takes phase 3 victory lap
11. CDMOs Bora, Corealis link up to provide one-stop shop for oral solid dose production, development
12. China approves world’s first CDK2/4/6 inhibitor, InnoCare’s next-gen TRK inhibitor (Release | Release)