Months after an antitrust lawsuit challenged its deal with Sanofi and raised uncertainty about the future of MZE001, Maze secured a new partner for potentially the first oral Pompe disease drug.

The drug maker has its eye on six Phase III or Phase III-ready programs that it hopes will return the company to growth. It also highlighted investments in AI and digital technology.

IQVIA’s latest usage and spending trends report forecasts US obesity market will grow to $35bn by 2028, while the two leading GLP-1 agonists have already posted eye-popping sales growth.

The company said an NCI trial and a China study remain ongoing despite a Phase III study in relapsed/refractory disease failing, with an unusually long OS result in the control arm.

Emerging Company Profile: The eight-year-old vaccine firm is planning clinical trials in the Philippines and Brazil to see how its synthetic viral peptide vaccine technology stands up against coronaviruses and dengue fever.

Astellas is building off an existing relationship with the biotech formed last August, joining the growing number of large pharmas looking at tackling solid tumors with cell therapy.