Sobi Buys Arthrosi to Broaden Gout Franchise and Push Into Chronic Inflammation
Swedish orphan-drug specialist Sobi has agreed to acquire Arthrosi, a privately held biotech focused on next-generation gout therapies
Industry Trends
EU Greenlights Landmark Pharma Package, Overhauling Drug Rules for the First Time in 20 Years
The EU has finalized a sweeping Pharma Package deal, preserving eight years of data protection, adding new antibiotic incentives and giving member states new powers to secure medicine supply.
ICER Advances Two High-Stakes Assessments: Cytisinicline Cleared, IgAN Therapies Under Review
ICER released two notable updates this week: a final evidence report supporting cytisinicline’s role in smoking cessation and a draft review evaluating sibeprenlimab, atacicept and delayed-release budesonide for IgA nephropathy.
Teleflex Sells Three Business Units in $2B Portfolio Shift
Teleflex is unloading its anaesthesia, urology and cardiac care businesses in a trio of deals worth more than $2B.
UK Cuts VPAG Newer-Medicine Rate to 14.5% for 2026
The UK has set the 2026 VPAG newer-medicine rebate at 14.5%, down sharply from 22.9% in 2025, reflecting slower NHS uptake and easing budget pressure. With an added 1% contribution, companies will pay 15.5% next year as talks begin to redesign the scheme for 2029 and beyond.
Novartis inks $1.7 Billion skin-disease pact with AI startup Relation
Novartis and Relation Therapeutics have struck a $1.7 billion collaboration to discover new immuno-dermatology drug targets using Relation’s AI-powered “Lab-in-the-Loop” platform.
Pfizer and YaoPharma Forge $2.1B Alliance to Advance Oral GLP-1 Drug
Pfizer has forged an exclusive global partnership with YaoPharma to develop and commercialize YP05002, a small-molecule GLP-1 agonist for chronic weight management.
Freenome to Go Public in $1.1B SPAC Deal Backed by Perceptive and RA Capital
Freenome is set to become a public company through a SPAC merger with Perceptive Capital Solutions Corp., a deal valuing the multiomics cancer detection developer at roughly $1.1 billion.
China’s 2026 NRDL Drives Major Breakthroughs in Drug Access
China’s latest National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL), set to take effect on January 1, 2026, is reshaping competitive dynamics across oncology, rare disease, and chronic metabolic care, as a wave of domestic and multinational companies secured new listings or renewed coverage for some of their highest-priority medicines. The update coincides with the release of the … Read more
German Court Halts Merck’s Keytruda SC in Major Patent Clash
Merck’s plan to introduce a subcutaneous formulation of Keytruda in Germany has been halted after a Munich court issued a preliminary injunction siding with Halozyme’s patent infringement claims.