Novo’s proposed acquisition of Catalent, with the immediate goal of adding capacity for its weight-loss drugs, has rarely been out of the news, whilst a raft of expansions elsewhere has been announced at Thermo Fisher, Alcami, Lonza and Vetter, to list but a few.

Jan van de Winkel, CEO of one of Europe’s leading biotech companies, Genmab, highlighted the need for Western pharma companies to embrace Chinese biotech innovation, despite growing anti-Chinese sentiment in the US.

U.S.-based drugmaker Eli Lilly has settled with a medi spa that sold counterfeit versions of its diabetes drug Mounjaro and obesity treatment Zepbound.

The collaboration will focus on advancing novel compounds through clinical development, targeting significant unmet needs in psychiatric health, and includes an option-to-license agreement to develop next-generation therapies.

Engineers from MIT have developed a novel technique that uses MRI to detect bioluminescence deep in the brain, uncovering blood vessel engineering that dilates in response to light.

Sartorius has partnered with Sanofi to develop an integrated continuous biomanufacturing (ICB) platform to enhance downstream bioprocessing through the combination of Sartorius' engineering expertise with Sanofi's ICB prototypes and patents.

Pfizer and AstraZeneca announced a combined c.$1 bn in investments in France ahead of the annual 'Choose France' summit. Pfizer will invest $538.5 mn to enhance research and development, while AstraZeneca will invest $388 mn at its Dunkirk site, with both announcements' positive news for President Macron’s efforts to position Paris as a major European business hub.

The U.K.’s Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s ‘sandbox’, AI Airlock, will be used to create simulated environments to address regulatory challenges associated with AI as a Medical Device (AIaMD).

Takeda joins major pharmaceutical companies in restructuring to focus on late-stage assets to drive growth after CEO Christophe Weber announced the shift, emphasizing the need for prioritization and efficiency.

Following its FDA approval in February, Teva is set to launch Simlandi, a biosimilar to AbbVie's arthritis drug Humira, in the coming weeks. Separately, Teva reported earnings missing analysts' estimates, although revenue was up.

Sanofi will make a $500 mn upfront to Novavax and take a sub-5% equity stake in the vaccines company $70 mn. The partners will co-develop and commercialize a combined flu and COVID-19 vaccine, and Sanofi will expand the reach of Novavax's protein-based COVID-19 vaccine.

The biologics drug substance CDMO says it is letting go of around 100 employees at its Seattle HQ and Colorado site - nearly 4% of its workforce – blaming post-pandemic economic strains. 

Google DeepMind, in collaboration with Isomorphic Labs, has introduced AlphaFold 3 - the latest iteration of its AI model for biological research and drug discovery.

Last month, Taiwanese-based Bora Pharmaceuticals completed their acquisition of leading generics manufacturer Upsher-Smith, as the company looks to further its expansion into the U.S.

Pfizer is launching a direct-to-consumer pharmacy service – like Lilly’s LillyDirect, launched at the beginning of 2024 - to sell some medicines directly to consumers. Pfizer claim the move will bypass industry middlemen to reduce expenses and simplify distribution.

AstraZeneca’s CEO, Pascal Soriot said he thinks it is in an FT interview, adding that, “investments in life sciences are taking place in the U.S. and, as a consequence, lots of the talent is based in the U.S.”

To respond to a greater proportion of clients’ projects requiring potent drug capabilities, specialist oral dose CDMO Adare is to extend its high potency handling and packaging capabilities in Philadelphia, Vandalia in Ohio, and Milan, Italy.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals has entered a significant collaboration with Mammoth Biosciences to develop in vivo CRISPR-based gene editing therapies, in a deal that includes an upfront payment of $100 mn and potential milestone payments totaling $370 mn per target.

The company said it will use the funds raised to invest in commercialization of nanoparticle-enabled formulations for next generation medicines.

The Swiss-based pharma firm exceeded first-quarter forecasts and raised its financial outlook due to strong demand for its leading drugs, Entresto and Cosentyx. The company reported a core net income of $1.80 per share and a 9.5% increase in revenue to $11.83 bn, surpassing estimates.