Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s HHS nomination moves to a full Senate vote; Donald Trump’s tariff war sparks China-related concerns for biopharma; Pfizer, Merck and more announce Q4 and 2024 earnings; and the non-opioid painkiller space heats up as FDA approves Vertex’s Jounavx.
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U.S. political maneuverings are keeping biopharma on its toes. Tuesday, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. passed a major hurdle as the Senate Finance Committee voted to advance his nomination for HHS secretary to a floor vote of the entire Senate. If confirmed, RFK Jr. could have an impact on myriad regulatory issues, including PDUFA negotiations.
In other political news, Donald Trump announced his promised tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China—the last of which could have particular implications for biopharma companies looking to China for promising new drug candidates.
Both were subjects of conversation as leading pharma companies—including Pfizer, Merck and Regeneron—reported their Q4 and full-year 2024 earnings. Notably, Pfizer is eyeing deals between $10 billion and $15 billion, while Merck took a 12% stock hit on Gardasil challenges in China and Regeneron issued its first-ever dividends.
On the regulatory front, the FDA greenlit Vertex’s Jounavx last week as the first new drug for acute pain in more than two decades. Journavx leads a non-opioid pain space that is seeing significant momentum this year, with Tris Pharma, Algiax Pharamceuticals and SiteOne Therapeutics all announcing positive data in the past month.
Meanwhile, in obesity news, the U.K.’s pharmacies regulator rolled out stricter guidelines for online pharmacies selling medicines including Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro, and an obesity-focused deal inked with Novo last year wasn’t enough to keep Omega Therapeutics afloat as the Massachusetts-based biotech revealed it is heading toward bankruptcy.
Finally, a new CEO will be taking the reins at Takeda in 2026—but the selection of Julie Kim is an exception in an industry still struggling for gender parity at the top leadership ranks.
