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GSK Plc has reach an agreement to acquire US-based RAPT Therapeutics Inc for $2.2 billion, strengthening its position in the field of medicines for inflammatory and immunologic diseases. The US company’s lead product, ozureprubart, is a monoclonal antibody that is being developed as a prophylactic against food allergens. It targets immunoglobulin E (IgE) which is the mode of action of at least one other approved biologic. Other treatments include allergen-specific immunotherapies. The standard of care is avoidance of allergens.

The European Medicines Agency issued positive opinions for 104 new medicines in 2025 of which 38 were drugs with new active substances, according to the agency’s annual human medicines report issued on 15 January. At 38, the number is fewer than the 46 novel drugs recommended during the previous year, but no less impactful. 

Follicular lymphoma is a type of slow-growing blood cancer affecting B lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that plays a critical role in immunity. There are many types of lymphomas but follicular is distinctive because of its tendency to grow slowly, starting in the follicules of lymph nodes and then expanding outwards. There are multiple approaches for treating the disease including an early observational phase known as ‘watch and wait’ where physicians monitor patients to identify symptoms that could justify a pharmaceutical treatment.

A Scotland, UK microbiome company has reported positive Phase 2a results for an experimental therapy for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a functional gastrointestinal disorder. These disorders are related to problems with how the brain and gut work together to maintain gut equilibrium. EnteroBiotix is developing an oral microbiome therapeutic for patients with constipation or diarrhoea, two of the three IBS types. It also has a product in development for liver cirrhosis.

Amgen Inc has selected two preclinical European biotech companies for deals in oncology with the expectation that they will help the company deliver new treatments for acute myeloid leukaemia and small cell lung and colorectal cancers. Total outlays for the two deals could be as much as $1.46 billion. The largest transaction involves the acquisition of Dark Blue Therapeutics Ltd of the UK for up to $840 million. The smaller deal is a collaboration with Germany-based DISCO Pharmaceuticals GmbH which is potentially valued at $618 million plus royalties.

Citing Denmark as an example, the Trump Administration has issued revised guidance on childhood vaccination policy that lowers the number of immunisations recommended for all children from 2026 onward. The guidance was issued on 5 January and generated critiques from multiple sources who argued that the review lacked transparency. This was disputed by the Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr who said the changes followed “an exhaustive review of the evidence” and aligned US vaccine policy with that of other developed nations.

Novo Nordisk A/S has become the first developer of a weight loss drug to have its medicine approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as a pill. The decision, announced on 22 December, enables Wegovy (semaglutide) to be administered orally, in addition to its four earlier approvals as an injectable treatment. This puts the Danish company in a stronger position than before, relative to its competitor Eli Lilly and Co which only recently submitted an oral obesity treatment to the FDA for review.

BC Platforms AG of Switzerland is to collaborate with a US data company to significantly increase its access to patient information for real world evidence studies. The agreement with GeneVault Lifesciences of Cambridge, US, was announced on 18 December and is expected to give the Swiss company new data sources across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. These regions represent some of the world’s most genetically diverse yet historically under-studied populations.

GSK Plc has received US approval for a new biologic to treat severe asthma, a disease driven high levels of white blood cells in the airwaves which can lead to inflammation and a shortness of breath. The Food and Drug Administration decision, announced on 16 December, will introduce a new drug to the market requiring dosing only twice per year. Exdensur (depemokimab) is a long-acting interleukin-5 (IL-5) antagonist. It prevents IL-5 from activating its receptor on eosinophils, thereby reducing an overproduction of the white blood cells.

Forbion of the Netherlands has co-led, along with Novartis Venture Fund, a $130 million Series B funding for a US company developing small molecule chaperones to correct the misfolding of proteins in cells – a cause of Alzheimer’s and other diseases. The developer, Protego Biopharma Inc of San Diego, US, is a clinical stage company whose lead product is poised to enter a trial in patients with primary amyloidosis, a disease affecting the heart and kidneys.