As Boehringer touts US launches, board chairman worries EU is 'falling further behind'

Over the last seven months, Boehringer Ingelheim has gained approvals and label expansions in the U.S. for two of its newest products—Jascayd and Hernexeos.

Back home in Europe, however, the German private company is still awaiting nods for each of the treatments.

Wednesday, during its 2025 earnings presentation, Boehringer Chairman Shashank Deshpande expressed his frustration with the regulatory landscape in Europe, pointing out that it took the FDA just 44 business days to tack on a second endorsement for lung cancer drug Hernexeos.

“Why is that possible in one jurisdiction or territory and why does it take six months, nine months in Europe?" Deshpande asked. 

Deshpande, who also serves as the chief of Boehringer’s Human Pharma division, believes the regulatory environment is hindering innovation in Europe. 

“We’re seeing generally, clearly a decline in European competitiveness, whichever metric we use, whether it’s clinical trials, whether it’s new drugs approved, whether it’s biotech deals,” Deshpande said. “We clearly see China increasing its innovative force or power. When we look at Europe, we have to look at the facts: They say, we used to be—especially in this country—the pharmacy of the world. And so, as we look at declining output, as we look at increasing regulation, we certainly are also worried that Europe is falling further behind.”

As for the launches of the new products in the U.S., both are progressing well, according to the company.

“We’re seeing very strong uptake in both brands,” Deshpande said.

Jascayd is the first new treatment in more than a decade for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a potentially fatal disorder that causes a buildup of scar tissue in the lungs and limits oxygen intake. As a selective phosphodiesterase-4B (PDE4B) inhibitor, Jascayd brings a new mechanism of action to the market, which is led by Boehringer’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor blockbuster Ofev, which was approved in 2014.

“Feedback we’re getting is that it’s addressing unmet medical need,” Deshpande said. “We are, as far as Jascayd is concerned, tracking above the historic launch performance of Ofev and that’s always a marker for us to look at how Jascayd may perform.”

Ofev, which was Boehringer’s second bestselling product in 2025, generated 3.8 billion euros ($4.3 billion) in 2025, which was up by 5% when accounting for currency fluctuations.

“We’re also seeing more combination use of Ofev and Jascayd,” Deshpande added. “Having said that, of course, we do expect over the course of the next years, that Ofev sales will decline as Jascayd takes up in the market.” 

In December, two months after it was originally approved, Boehringer scored an FDA expansion for Jascayd to treat progressive pulmonary fibrosis. 

As for its performance overall, Boehringer reported sales were up by a currency-adjusted figure of 7% to 27.8 billion euros ($31.4 billion) in 2025. Human Pharma sales were up 7% as well, led by diabetes and heart failure medicine Jardiance, which accounted for sales of 8.8 billion euros ($9.9 billion), which were up 9% year over year.