Business
Novo plans to hit $23B in revenue by 2035, has further reduced its workforce by 4,000 and is boosting manufacturing capacity for its Wegovy pill, but investors are unconvinced it will be enough to turn things around; Viking Therapeutics and Roche report positive results for their weight loss assets; Ultragenyx snags FDA approval for its Sanfilippo syndrome gene therapy; IPOs keep on coming.
FEATURED STORIES
As Big Pharma adds AI technology to bolster drug development, a cadre of new, upstart biotechs are pushing drug discovery to new heights.
Big Pharma needs more—not fewer—bold bets on rare and difficult diseases after Novartis’ efforts to invest in muscular dystrophy and ALS hit major roadblocks this month.
BioSpace is launching an IPO dashboard to help the industry keep tabs on U.S. biotechs that have taken the public plunge in 2026.
Subscribe to BioPharm Executive
Market insights and trending stories for biopharma leaders, in your inbox every Wednesday
THE LATEST
Follow along as BioSpace tracks job cuts and restructuring initiatives.
Deals for Chinese radiopharmaceutical assets have been rare to date and there is a limited pool of potential Western buyers available, Sleuth said.
Novo has “gone shopping” to fill pipeline gaps, with a focus on obesity and diabetes, plus an expansion in blood and endocrine disorders, liver diseases and cardiovascular conditions.
Aside from its manufacturing and distribution footprint, ITM Isotope Technologies Munich will give Telix Pharmaceuticals the late-stage ITM-11, being developed for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. The asset was rejected by the FDA last month for manufacturing concerns.
Investors and analysts have been hounding Novo to beef up its pipeline and advance new molecules as a majority of the company’s sales stem from its semaglutide franchise.
A new five-year biotech plan has been released by the Chinese government, revealing ambitious goals such as achieving five blockbuster medicines on the global markets in that time.
Electra Therapeutics has exceeded its initial fundraising plans as it becomes the 26th biotech to debut publicly this year and outlines pivotal development plans for its monoclonal antibody ipsoprubart.
The multi-drug partnership with Orbis Medicines—which Novo Holdings has backed since the biotech’s seed rounds—is focused on cardiometabolic targets, but the technology at the center of the deal could deliver oral weight loss candidates. Obesity rival Eli Lilly has also helped fund Orbis.
While increases in the interest rate from the Federal Reserve are usually bad for biotech, the sector at this moment is poised to withstand the blow, according to analysts, though earlier stage companies may be left in the lurch.
Novartis stands alongside Big Pharma peers that have similarly invested in technologies to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, including GSK, Roche and Eli Lilly.