Merck has announced its acquisition of CN201, an investigational B-cell depletion therapy from Curon Biopharmaceutical to target B-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. As part of the deal, Merck will pay $700mn upfront for the rights to the treatment, which could rise by another $600mn based on successful development and regulatory approval targets.

Whilst we’re just past the halfway mark of 2024, mid-year analysis of the top selling drugs for the top 10 pharma companies provides some interesting insights into the demands of the market so far this year. Analysis from PharmaVoice shows that the leading drugs have generated over $55bn in revenue so far - just over 20% of the combined total revenue generated ($243.3bn) by the companies featured.

Triastek - the global leader in 3D printing pharmaceuticals - and BioNTech have announced a research collaboration and platform technology licensing agreement to develop 3D-printed oral RNA therapeutics. This collaboration will leverage Triastek's advanced 3D printing technology to optimize the delivery of RNA drugs via innovative oral tablet designs, ensuring they reach specific parts of the gastrointestinal tract. Triastek will receive a $10mn upfront payment, which could exceed $1.2bn based on milestone payments and royalties.

Alcami has expanded its pharmaceutical storage facility in Garner, North Carolina, as it looks to expand its offering for a wide range of cold, stability, and custom storage options. The new 65,000 ft² facility supports temperature-sensitive products like vaccines and biopharma therapies, with conditions ranging from controlled ambient to cryogenic storage.

End-to-end CDMO, Samsung Biologics, has reported a record-setting quarter, with a 37% increase in sales, driven primarily by its biosimilars unit, Samsung Bioepis. The company achieved significant year-over-year growth, including a 107% rise in biosimilars sales, largely due to successful products like Hadlima, a Humira biosimilars, increasing profits by 71%.

Agilent Technologies has recently announced an agreement to acquire leading, specialized CDMO, BIOVECTRA, for $925mn as the company looks to expand on its existing CDMO specialization in oligonucleotides and CRISPR. Utilizing BIOVECTRA’s specialization in biologics, highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients, and other molecules for targeted therapeutics, Agilent will eventually be able to expand its capabilities in biologics, HPAPIs, and gene editing technologies.

Pharmaceutical Multinational, Novartis, has filed notice to close its San Diego R&D facility by mid-2025, eliminating 100 jobs. The facility, which is currently being used for oncology, neuroscience and immunology R&D, will be moved to other existing U.S. locations. The company says it plans to maintain a presence in San Diego.

Wolfgang Wienand has been announced as the new CEO of Lonza Group (starting July 1), succeeding Albert M. Baehny, who served as interim CEO since October 2023 and was Chairman of the Board until May 2024.

Following a previous announcement just a few days earlier that it would layoff 158 of its workers, Ginkgo Bioworks, the cell programming company, expanded the number of people affected to 400, or around 35% of its workforce.

Eli Lilly has announced a partnership with OpenAI to leverage generative AI to invent novel antimicrobials to address drug-resistant pathogens and their worldwide impact on antimicrobial resistance.

The collaboration comes through the initiative of Lilly’s Social Impact Venture Capital Portfolio, with $100mn committed to provide patients with two to four new antibiotics by 2030.

Two CDMOs, Abzena and Argonaut Manufacturing Services, have announced a strategic partnership to provide an integrated drug substance and product manufacturing solution for biopharmaceutical companies to streamline drug development from early discovery to commercial manufacturing.

NeuroBo has recently announced pre-clinical data for its drug candidate DA-1726, demonstrated superiority in weight loss, retention of lean body mass, and lipid-lowering effects compared to Boehringer Ingelheim’s survodutide, in pre-clinical models.

Zealand Pharma has sold $1bn worth of new shares as it sets out to invest in the development of obesity pipeline candidates including amylin analogue petrelintide and the GLP-1/GLP-2 receptor dual agonist dapiglutide.

Indian multinational pharmaceutical company, Lupin, has expanded into the CDMO market.

The company has appointed Abdelaziz Toumi as the CEO of its newly established subsidiary, Lupin Manufacturing Solutions (LMS) which will focus on developing, manufacturing, and selling APIs while expanding into the CDMO market.

It wasn’t so very long ago that progress in delivering systemic treatments, via new oral technologies, inhalables and via a plethora of alternative routes of delivery suggested that the days were numbered for invasive injections, but recent reports now suggests injectables will remain a mainstay of drug delivery for some time to come.

With plenty of panels happening at BIO 2024, one convention discussion highlighted the transformative potential of gene therapy and the challenges of funding these high-cost, one-time treatments. Experts from bluebird bio, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and other stakeholders emphasized the need for innovative payment models that reflect the long-term value of gene therapies.

GSK has secured a non-exclusive license to Elsie Biotechnologies' oligonucleotide discovery platform following a successful research collaboration.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has inaugurated a GMP-certified ultra-cold facility in Bleiswijk, Netherlands, to enhance its clinical trial network in Europe. This state-of-the-art facility supports the development of advanced therapies, including cell and gene therapies, biologics, and vaccines through comprehensive services, including ambient to cryogenic storage, clinical packaging, labeling, and distribution.

Kindeva Drug Delivery, the drug and device CDMO, is to expanding its facilities at its Charnwood campus in Loughborough, U.K. The expansion will support growth in demand for so-called green propellants, providing commercial-scale supply and doubling the company’s UK laboratory footprint.

The company will move its development services site from Skokie to Des Plaines, Illinois, where a construction project was announced to add new buildings for clinical manufacturing and related services. Vetter will also expand its commercial business at its 125-acre site in Saarland, Germany, to meet increasing customer demand for high quality injectables.