Pfizer has expanded its presence in the obesity treatment market by acquiring a new molecule from Chinese company YaoPharma. The licensing agreement, announced Tuesday, could be worth up to $1.9 billion. This follows Pfizer’s recent $10 billion acquisition of obesity startup Metsera.
Wave Life Sciences and Structure Therapeutics have also reported promising results from their weight loss drug candidates. Analysts described Wave’s early-stage data as “very disruptive” and Structure’s mid-stage results as “highly competitive.”
Leadership changes continue at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Richard Pazdur retired just three weeks after taking on the role of director for the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). His departure leaves only three veteran leaders at the FDA compared to one year ago.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also made news last week when its updated vaccines advisory committee recommended delaying hepatitis B vaccination from birth to two months of age for some infants.
At the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD) conference, Roche presented mid-stage study data showing that its next-generation antibody trontinemab lowered amyloid levels below positivity thresholds in 92% of treated patients. Eisai shared results from a Phase Ib/II trial indicating that its candidate etalanetug reduced all measurable forms of MTBR-tau243, a biomarker linked to tau tangle pathology in Alzheimer’s disease.
BioPharm Executive is featuring analysis this week on how pharmaceutical companies are learning from China’s biotech sector and examining Japan's efforts to expand its pharmaceutical industry globally.
