Britain’s plans for expanding its position as a global centre for biopharmaceutical research and development hit a barrier on 10 September when Merck & Co Inc announced a decision to stop development of a £1 billion research centre in London, and vacate two other laboratories in the city.
Genmab A/S has received a ‘breakthrough therapy’ designation from the US Food and Drug Administration for an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) which is in development for endometrial cancer and has shown promising activity in heavily pre-treated patients. The designation was announced on 26 August, just weeks after the company presented new data at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago, US. The drug, rinatabart sesutecan, showed a 50% objective response rate and two complete responses in heavily pre-treated patients with advanced disease.
Switzerland-based Aphaia Pharma AG has started a second Phase 2 trial of a new oral candidate drug for obesity which aims to restore endogenous endocrine balance in individuals with the disorder. The drug is a coated formulation of glucose, which is included on the World Health Organization’s list of essential medicines. It is designed to be released in the small intestine to restore endogenous nutrient-sensing signalling pathways and stimulate the release of hormones that control multiple functions including appetite, hunger, satiety and glucose metabolism.
UK-based CHARM Therapeutics Ltd has raised $80 million from an international investor syndicate to support a preclinical product, based on a novel algorithm, for patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). AML accounts for about one out of three leukaemias in adults in the US, but for those over the age of 65 years, the incidence is much higher. Announced on 2 September, the financing was co-led by new investors New Enterprise Associates and SR One with participation from existing groups including NVentures, the investment arm of the chipmaker Nvidia Corp.
Google LLC, the US technology conglomerate owned by Alphabet Inc, has been fined €2.95 billion by the European Commission for what it described as abusive practices in its online advertising business. The fine relates to practices dating from 2014 in which Google was found to have favoured its own online display advertising technology services, to the detriment of other providers.
Eli Lilly and Co’s investigational obesity drug, orforglipron, achieved a weight loss of 10.5% at the highest dose in a third Phase 3 trial whose results were reported on 3 September. Orforglipron is small molecule glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist designed to be taken once per day without restrictions on food and water. It differs from Lilly’s first approved weight-loss drug Zepbound (tirzepatide) which is a polypeptide drug, administered subcutaneously and intended to be taken with a diet and exercise.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc announced positive data on 2 September from two Phase 3 trials for its RNA-targeted medicine olezarsen (Tryngolza) in patients at risk of acute pancreatitis events. Tryngolza has already been approved in the US for the treatment of familial chylomicronaemia syndrome, a genetic disease that prevents the body from breaking down triglyceride fats. The company is now seeking to expand the drug’s use for people with severe hypertriglyceridaemia. This disorder occurs when the levels of triglycerides are significantly elevated, increasing the risk of acute pancreatitis.
Cyted Health, a UK diagnostics company with a focus on gastrointestinal health, has raised $44 million to expand its business in the US, taking advantage of a Food and Drug Administration approval of its lead product and experience using the device for patients in the UK. Announced on 2 September, the Series B funding is being led by the private equity group EQT Life Sciences and co-led by Advent Life Sciences and the British Business Bank. It follows FDA approval of the product EndoSign in 2024.
Wegovy (semaglutide), the weight-loss drug developed and now marketed by Novo Nordisk A/S, is able to cut the risk of heart attack, stroke or death by 57% compared with tirzepatide (Zepbound), the competing drug developed by Eli Lilly and Co, according to the Danish pharma company. Novo presented the comparative data, derived from a real-world study of the two drugs’ benefits, at the annual European Society of Cardiology meeting in Madrid on 31 August.
Roche and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc are to advance their jointly developed RNA interference therapy for hypertension into a Phase 3 trial following clinical data showing that the drug, zilebesiran, could have a significant impact on patients with uncontrolled hypertension. The data comes from three Phase 2 trials which tracked the performance of the drug in patients with hypertension and high cardiovascular risk.