Scrip - Pharma News And Expert Analysis For Commercial Decision Makers since 1972

Novartis’s Cosentyx Suffers Rare Phase III Fail
 
• By Kevin Grogan

Multi-blockbuster falls short in a giant cell arteritis study.

Spotlight On BIO

BIO China Deal Perspectives: A Dramatic Impact On Industry’s R&D Pipelines

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Biopharma executives and investors at the BIO convention noted the competition emerging from China with high-quality assets that could make strong additions to their portfolios.

BIO Finance Trends: Drug Developers Face Harsh Realities As Funding Constraints Continue

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Financial markets were expected to loosen up in 2025, but BIO convention attendees indicated that conditions have worsened this year, so public and private firms are making tough choices.

Post-BIO Podcast: Thoughts From The Frontlines

 
• By Sarah Karlin-Smith, Mandy Jackson, and Mary Jo Laffler

Scrip and Pink Sheet journalists reflect on the mood from Boston, the most important takeaways and what’s next for industry.

BIO Deal Trends: Financial Market Stress Creates Transactional Opportunities

 
• By Mandy Jackson

M&A may not be booming in 2025, but BIO convention attendees reported no shortage of potential deals, especially as cash-strapped drug developers seek funding alternatives.

Interviews

Beyond AI Hype: Tokyo-1’s Real Answer On How To Innovate Pharma R&D

 
• By Lisa Takagi

Bringing supercomputing power to bear on large-scale calculations for pharma R&D, Tokyo-based Xeureka explains the practical use of AI to empower innovation beyond the hype.

Watch This Space: Miltenyi‘s ‘Brain-To-Vein,’ Point-Of-Care CAR-T Efforts In India

 
• By Anju Ghangurde

From a letter of intent with BIRAC sealed at BIO 2025 to supporting Immuneel’s CAR-T efforts and a study for point-of-care manufactured anti-CD19 CAR-T cell therapy, Miltenyi Biotec is moving on multiple fronts in India. The German group also expects to advance its own CAR-T candidates.

Ireland’s Got Biopharma Talent To Keep Leading The Pack

 
• By Kevin Grogan

The country’s life sciences investment head tells Scrip that it is business as usual for the sector despite the rumblings from across the Atlantic.

Focus On Asia

BlissBio Goes Solo On HER2-Targeting ADC After Eisai Exit

 
• By Dexter Jie Yan

Watch This Space: Miltenyi‘s ‘Brain-To-Vein,’ Point-Of-Care CAR-T Efforts In India

 
• By Anju Ghangurde

Global Pharma Interest In Korea Undeterred Despite Political Roller Coaster

 
• By Jung Won Shin

Torrent Acquires JB Chem In 2025’s Biggest Deal For Indian Pharma

 
• By Vibha Ravi

Snapshot Of India’s Pharma Manufacturing Network Amid ‘Trumponomics’

 
• By Anju Ghangurde

Data Analysis

Empty Promises: Five Drugs That Fell Short Of Their Sales Forecasts

 
• By Edwin Elmhirst

Many assets underperform their pre-launch sales predictions, which can be disastrous to their developers and marketers. In this article, Scrip highlights several historic examples and the factors that influenced their poorer-than-expected performance.

Snapshot Of India’s Pharma Manufacturing Network Amid ‘Trumponomics’

 
• By Anju Ghangurde

Scrip collates data on the global manufacturing network of leading Indian drug makers, the markets serviced and production hubs for active pharmaceutical ingredients. Will ongoing geopolitical tensions and policy shifts have a bearing on some of these down the line?

Pharma Growth And Biotech Squeeze Will Shape Sector To 2030, Evaluate Forecasts

 
• By Andrew McConaghie

Evaluate’s five-year forecast sees steady growth for big pharma despite recent political turmoil but tougher times ahead for the ‘have nots’ of biotech.

R&D

Novartis’s Cosentyx Suffers Rare Phase III Fail

 
• By Kevin Grogan

Multi-blockbuster falls short in a giant cell arteritis study.

In Brief: Organon To Pull Plug On OG-6219 Program After Phase II Endometriosis Trial Failure

 
• By Sushmita Panda

Once hailed as a potential game changer, OG-6219 gets the axe after failing in a Phase II endometriosis-related pain trial.

In Brief: 4DMT Fast-Tracks Long-Acting Wet AMD Therapy Trials, Cuts 25% Of Workforce

 
• By Sushmita Panda

4D Molecular Therapeutics has fast-tracked its Phase III trials for 4D-150 in wet AMD, with top-line data from one now expected in H1 2027 and another underway ahead of schedule. The company is also cutting a quarter of its staff as it focuses on its late-stage pipeline and to help fund the trials.

Beyond AI Hype: Tokyo-1’s Real Answer On How To Innovate Pharma R&D

 
• By Lisa Takagi

Bringing supercomputing power to bear on large-scale calculations for pharma R&D, Tokyo-based Xeureka explains the practical use of AI to empower innovation beyond the hype.

Business

Novartis’s Cosentyx Suffers Rare Phase III Fail

 
• By Kevin Grogan

Multi-blockbuster falls short in a giant cell arteritis study.

In Brief: BioVersys And Shionogi Align In Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria R&D

 
• By Joseph Haas

Deal Snapshot: Having recently raised an $89m IPO, BioVersys is partnering on and optioning rights to a preclinical NTM development program with Shionogi.

BerGenBio Plumps For Oncoinvent From Long List Of 50 Suitors

 
• By Kevin Grogan

The merger with a fellow Norwegian biotech comes a few months after its lead asset, bemcentinib, bit the dust.

Global Pharma Interest In Korea Undeterred Despite Political Roller Coaster

 
• By Jung Won Shin

Despite recent political turmoil, outside investor and corporate interest in South Korean biopharma innovation appears robust or even increasing.

Scrip Originals

Executives On The Move: New CEOs At Sun Pharma And TME Pharma

Recent moves in the industry include C-suite changes at Abvance Therapeutics, plus Galapagos gets new chief financial officer from Horizon Therapeutics.

Stock Watch: Syncona’s Wild Ride Exposes Suspect Strategies

 
• By Andy Smith

A track record of positive portfolio performance is described as an investment management skill. Taking difficult divestment decisions early, in challenging markets and outperforming benchmarks, are hallmarks of this skill. Syncona and Woodford Patient Capital offer useful case studies.

Pipeline Watch: Eleven Approvals And ADA Readouts Dominate

Pipeline Watch is a weekly snapshot of selected late-stage clinical trial events and approvals announced by pharmaceutical and biotech companies at medical and industry conferences, in financial and company presentations, and in company releases and statements.

Deal Watch: Novartis To Develop Cardiovascular Therapies With ProFound

 
• By Joseph Haas, Sushmita Panda, Jung Won Shin, and Alaric DeArment

Plus deals involving BioCryst/Neopharmed Gentili, Sanofi/Kymera, Abion, Denovo/Chuang Yi, Carisma/OrthoCellix, Otsuka/Harbour Biomed, Aptose/Hanmi, Philochem/RayzeBio, Concentra/Elevation Oncology, and more.