GSK Plc has appointed Luke Miels as chief executive officer designate, as well as a member of the company’s board of directors, from 1 January 2026. Emma Walmsley, the current CEO who has led the company since 2017, will step down from her position. However she will remain with the business until her notice period ends on 30 September 2026.
A gene therapy intended as a one-time treatment for Huntington’s disease significantly slowed progression of the disorder in a pivotal Phase 1/2 trial, paving the way for a regulatory submission in the first quarter of 2026. The developer, uniQure NV, showed that it is possible to safely impact the disease by targeting both the disease-causing huntingtin protein and the normal protein using a vector-based gene therapy and a gene encoding a microRNA (miRNA).
Pfizer Inc is to pay $4.9 billion to acquire a three-year old company, Metsera Inc, which is developing drugs for weight management giving it a selection of candidate products that can be delivered orally and by injection and which include both amylin and incretin mimetics. The amylin-based treatments restore sensitivity to leptin, a satiety hormone that enables people to feel naturally full after eating. The incretins, which include the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs, mimic hormones in the gut that help regulate blood sugar and appetite.
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