Autoimmune disease

Sanofi’s jump in earnings comes with an increased emphasis on R&D and vaccines, plus an eye cast toward M&A to shore up its pipeline.

As the year gets underway, analysts and biotech executives highlight cell therapy’s pivot from oncology to autoimmune diseases, a continued appetite for next-generation obesity drugs and an increased focus on neuromuscular, kidney and cardiovascular diseases.

There are currently no treatments available for celiac disease beyond a gluten-free diet. Several late-phase companies aim to change the paradigm and deliver hope and progress soon.

Staff cuts will leave IGM Biosciences with 37 employees. The company is also halting development of two bispecific antibody T cell engagers for autoimmune diseases.

MaaT013 in 2022 was put under clinical hold by the FDA, which cited safety and efficacy concerns with the sample-pooling method used to produce the investigational therapy. The hold was lifted in April 2023.

California-based biotech Nuvig Therapeutics scooped up $161 million from the investment arms of Sanofi, Bayer, Novo Holdings, BMS and others for its Fc fragment immunomodulator aimed at improving autoimmune dysregulation.