Company News

Eli Lilly and Co has entered into an exclusive licencing agreement with Sweden-based Camurus AB to use its technology to deliver incretin products to people with obesity and diabetes over extended periods – thereby reducing frequent administration. Based in Lund, Camurus has developed a technology called FluidCrystal that consists of a lipid-based liquid combined with a dissolved active ingredient. Upon injection, the medical compound is slowly released and gradually degrades in a patient’s tissue.

Sanofi SA is to acquire Blueprint Medicines Corp, expanding its immunology pipeline with a marketed product for systemic mastocytosis, a rare blood disorder that can affect multiple systems in the body. Sanofi is to pay $129 per share in cash for the US company, representing a deal value of $9.1 billion at the transaction close in the third quarter. This figure could rise to $9.5 billion if one of the company’s clinical programmes meets specific development and regulatory milestones.

Indivior Plc, a company that is developing medicines to treat opioid use disorders, has announced plans to consolidate the trading of its shares on Nasdaq in the US. Consequently, it has initiated a delisting from the London Stock Exchange which will take effect on 25 July. “A single primary listing on Nasdaq best reflects the profile of Indivior’s business,” David Wheadon, the company’s chairman, said in a statement on 2 June.

Immunic Inc has raised $65 million from a public share offering to advance its pipeline of small molecule therapies for chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The offering consists of warrants to purchase stock in the company which can be exercised at different periods up until 3 June 2030. It closed on 3 June. Immunic could receive up to an additional $130 million if the warrants are exercised in full for cash. The financing was co-led by BVF Partners and Coastlands Capital with Leerink Partners as the bookrunner.

Orionis Biosciences has announced a second strategic collaboration with Genentech to discover and develop a new class of monovalent molecular glue medicines for cancer, in a deal worth $105 million upfront and more than $2 billion in potential milestone payments.

France-based Sanofi SA posted strong sales and business operating income for the 2025 first quarter due to continued demand for Dupixent and a strong performance by newer treatments and vaccines. Sales reached €9.9 billion, up by 10.8% in actual exchange rates and by 9.7% at constant rates. Business operating income for the quarter was €2.9 billion, a rise of 20.1% on the first quarter of 2024. The company left its full-year profit and sales forecasts unchanged, with the expectation that sales will continue to grow strongly.

The Swiss pharmaceutical group Roche reported 2025 first quarter sales of CHF 15.4 billion ($18.6 billion) for an increase of 7% in Swiss francs and 6% at constant exchange rates. Group sales were driven by higher demand for newer medicines and diagnostics. The strongest performers in its pharmaceutical division were Phesgo, a combination therapy for breast cancer, Vabysmo, a drug for severe eye diseases, and the allergy treatment Xolair. For the year as a whole, group sales are expected to increase in a mid-single digit range at constant exchange rates.

People suspected of having Alzheimer’s disease will in future be able to have another option for receiving a confirmed diagnosis following the approval of a new blood test by the US Food and Drug Administration. The approval, announced on 16 May, is for an in vitro diagnostic device, the first of its kind. It is called the Lumipulse G pTau217/beta-amyloid 1-42 plasma ratio. The developer is Fujirebio Diagnostics Ltd of Japan.

GSK Plc is to expand its portfolio of products for the treatment of liver disease with the acquisition of an asset to treat and prevent the progression of steatotic liver disease (SLD), formerly known as fatty liver disease. Announced on 14 May, the deal features an upfront payment of $1.2 billion for the asset with potential for additional success-based milestones of $800 million. The liver disease affects a significant percentage of the global population and is mainly driven by obesity, type 2 diabetes, and alcohol intake, according to a 2024 review in The Lancet. 

Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, chief executive of Novo Nordisk A/S, who has led the Danish company for eight years including a period of strong growth with the launch of two obesity drugs, is to step down. The management change was apparently taken under pressure from the Novo Nordisk Foundation which controls a majority of the company’s shares. It follows a steep decline in the company’s shares after Phase 3 data for a new obesity compound failed to meet investor expectations. It did however meet the trial’s primary endpoint.