Bristol Myers Squibb brought the last of nine new drugs to market last year – all needed to help it overcome three big losses of exclusivity this decade – so the focus this year is commercial execution. 

The hard going could get even tougher as a funding crunch continues for China’s biotech sector, which is being hit by a paradox that could see more pain ahead, leading investors to take the pulse of the sector as the Year of the Rabbit starts.

In this week's podcast version of Five Must-Know Things: Merck & Co. tells Scrip oncology will remain a key priority; J&J is responsibly cautious on growth; Takeda pays big for HutchMed drug; industry looks at likely US IRA impact; and lecanemab misses out on EU fast-track treatment.

Shoreline picks up technology platform rights and access from Editas, which recently reduced staff. Hyloris out-licenses commercial rights to Maxigesic in nine EU markets to Salus.

Executives told Scrip the company is ready to move five programs into Phase III and launch five products this year, including an obesity indication for Mounjaro, but one drug has since received a CRL.

Many of the same factors that held down large M&A transactions in 2021 carried over to 2022, which saw eight buyouts valued at $2bn+, headlined by Amgen’s $27.8bn purchase of Horizon.

Pfizer joined Novartis as the market leader in sickle cell disease when it acquired Global Blood Therapeutics last year. The US giant's Oxbryta may now move ahead following a clinical and regulatory setback for the Swiss major's Adakveo.

The revenue boost Evusheld has given AstraZeneca over the past year will grind to a halt now that the FDA, as expected, has pulled approval for the antibody combo on the grounds it is ineffective against most SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in the US.

Industry leaders are concerned about the outlook for small molecule drugs in particular, but execs at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference were also optimistic there could be chances to shape the implementation of certain policies.

The firms’ Orserdu has won a US thumbs up for the treatment of ESR1-mutated advanced or metastatic breast cancer, marking a positive breakthrough for the challenging SERD drug class.

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.

The CEO of one the global top-five CROs points out a larger opportunity in decentralized trials that might be a “game changer” in the global pharma industry over the next five years. He also refers to the need to accept new technologies by both clinical trial sites and regulators.