Novo, Lilly cut deal with Trump to lower prices of obesity drugs

The agreement will make Wegovy and Zepbound available to some Medicare enrollees for $245 per month, and starter doses of pill versions, once approved, for $149 monthly.

Updated Nov. 7, 2025

Corporate venture firms stepped in for drug startups during biotech funding pullback

According to a new BioPharma Dive analysis, corporate-related funds such as Novo Holdings, Eli Lilly and Sanofi Ventures have been among the most active investors in biotech startups this year.

AstraZeneca exercises option to buy an obesity startup

The pharma giant disclosed in an earnings report that it paid $170 million up front to acquire SixPeaks Bio, a weight loss-focused startup it helped launch last year.

Pharma’s clinical trial diversity push faces a new threat

Skyrocketing healthcare costs could deliver another blow to the industry’s ongoing quest to boost representation in R&D.

CMS to launch model to lower Medicaid drug spending

Under the model, set to start next year, the CMS will negotiate lower prices for Medicaid programs linked to those paid in select other countries.

Moderna leans on cost cuts, pipeline as vaccine sales dip

Despite quarterly revenue totals that were nearly cut in half compared to the same period last year, Moderna still expects to break even financially in 2028 with the help of more disciplined spending. 

J&J brain drug acquired in $14.6B buyout cleared for broader use

Caplyta, which J&J got in its acquisition of Intra-Cellular Therapies, netted a clearance in major depressive disorder that’s key to achieving the $5 billion in annualized sales the company expects.

FTC signals scrutiny of Novo’s bid for Metsera

Without taking a firm position, the antitrust agency said Novo’s two-step deal structure may illegally sidestep requirements for a premerger review. 

Evommune nabs $150M in IPO amid federal shutdown

The immune drugmaker is the second biotech, along with MapLight Therapeutics, to recently use a workaround in U.S. securities law to price an offering during the shutdown. 

Knocked back by the FDA, Biohaven turns to major cost cuts

The brain drug developer plans to slash R&D expenses by about 60% in the wake of the FDA surprisingly rejecting its rare disease drug Vyglxia.

Braveheart secures $185M to advance challenger to Bristol Myers heart drug

The startup is advancing a drug licensed from China’s Hengrui Pharma that it claims could be “best-in-class” among a group of similar treatments for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Novo narrows sales outlook as GLP-1 price cuts loom

Ahead of a reported White House deal meant to lower the cost of obesity drugs like Wegovy, Novo said “intensifying competition and pricing pressure” led it to lower its yearly sales projections.

Soleno slumps despite sales uptick; Madrigal’s MASH drug continues ascent

Soleno shares fell double digits amid questions about the growth trajectory of its Prader-Willi drug. Elsewhere, a cancer medicine at the center of a $1.9 billion buyout fell short in a key trial. 

Sarepta Duchenne drugs come up short in confirmatory test

Still, CEO Doug Ingram claimed removing the two drugs, Vyondys 53 and Amondys 45, from market would make “little sense” and that the evidence accrued to date makes a strong case for full approval.

UniQure dives after FDA’s ‘very surprising’ reversal on Huntington’s gene therapy

The FDA’s abrupt shift on UniQure’s treatment reflects an agency that, under current leadership, is as unpredictable as it's been in years, some analysts said.

Metsera again chooses Novo as bidding war with Pfizer intensifies

The obesity drug developer has declared a new proposal from Novo “superior” to Pfizer’s original bid as well as an updated offer revealed Tuesday.

Vertex’s new pain, blood disorder drugs miss Wall Street expectations

While the launches of Journavx and Casgevy have started to build steam, “investors may not be inclined to look past the clear revenue misses,” wrote a Raymond James analyst.

Neok Bio launches with $75M to make dual-targeting ADCs

The startup claims its medicines may be able to overcome the limitations of conventional antibody-drug conjugates by simultaneously homing in on “unique pairs” of cancer targets. 

Blackstone pays Merck $700M to buy into ADC drug royalties

The deal hands Blackstone a piece of the potential future sales of an antibody-drug conjugate that could soon challenge marketed medicines from AstraZeneca and Gilead.

Tidmarsh resigns from CDER; Kenvue to sell to Kimberly-Clark

George Tidmarsh’s short run directing the agency’s principal drug review office reportedly ended in controversy. Elsewhere, Moderna advanced a T-cell engager and Lilly expanded a production push for its GLP-1 pill.

Roche taps an AI specialist to craft new brain drugs

For $55 million, Roche gains access to Manifold Bio’s drug discovery technology, which will be used to develop new “shuttles” that can get medicines across the blood-brain barrier.

Pfizer sues Metsera, Novo in effort to enforce buyout deal

The lawsuit escalates an unusual, high-profile battle between two large pharmaceutical companies over ownership of a coveted developer of obesity drugs.

Updated Nov. 3, 2025

Caribou results suggest renewed promise for ‘off-the-shelf’ cancer cell therapy

While early, the data support Caribou’s plan to boost its therapies’ effectiveness by using donor cells that are carefully matched to a patient’s immune system. 

Earnings roundup: Alnylam’s down day, Neurocrine’s head scratch and Biogen’s ‘low quality’ win

Alnylam and Neurocrine shares tumbled despite upbeat sales reports. Elsewhere, Biogen is dealing with what one analyst called “lackluster” appeal and Bristol Myers’ prized schizophrenia drug again underwhelmed.

FDA, aiming to lower drug costs, moves to speed approval of biosimilars

The agency will no longer require studies comparing copycat biologics to their branded counterparts, which could help developers bring them to market more quickly and cheaply.