Immunology and inflammation
Gilead’s emvistegrast delivered greater clinical response than placebo, setting up the asset for Phase 3 testing in ulcerative colitis as well as studies in other inflammatory diseases and bolstering the company’s push beyond its HIV portfolio.
AbbVie’s next-gen dual-targeting therapy elicited higher rates of remission than its IL-23 inhibitor Skyrizi in a Phase 2a trial of Crohn’s disease, leading analysts to wonder if the blockbuster can be outdone.
CSL will co-develop and co-promote Alentis Therapeutics’ anti-claudin-1 therapy lixudebart for kidney and liver conditions, including primary sclerosing cholangitis and a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by small blood vessel inflammation.
CEO Matt Gline is juggling Roivant Sciences’ first solo drug launch and several maturing programs as the hub-and-spoke company sets its sights on a massive turning point into commercial viability.
Merck has revealed detailed data for tulisokibart from a mid-stage trial in hidradenitis suppurativa that analysts say could help carve out a place in a crowded market that already includes AbbVie’s Humira and UCB’s Bimzelx.
Sanofi and Regeneron have had a long and “sometimes contentious” partnership, BMO Capital Markets noted, as the companies contend with the looming loss of exclusivity of their blockbuster drug Dupixent.
Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Argenx and more are unlocking new immunology targets and looking to improve on existing ones in an attempt to catch some of the magic brought about by AbbVie’s Humira and Sanofi and Regeneron’s Dupixent.
Nektar Therapeutics has been awarded $90 million in damages after a jury sided with the biotech, which had accused Big Pharma Eli Lilly of “botching” an analysis of their formerly partnered autoimmune drug.
After imeroprubart failed to demonstrate sufficient efficacy in lupus during a Phase 2b trial, Immunovant is moving on from the indication and looking to other high priority programs for the drug in neurology, endocrinology and rheumatology.
With more than 25 companies debuting on the public markets, 2026 has recorded the highest number of biotech IPOs since 2021. Now, four companies—including Iambic Therapeutics and ADARx Pharmaceuticals—are looking to grow this total even further.
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