In this week's podcast edition of Five Must-Know Things: a preview of the CTAD Alzheimer’s meeting; US myeloma drug withdrawal puts pressure on GSK; UniQure/CSL's gene therapy sets new US price record; new leadership at Teva; and Merck’s Frazier cautions against profit maximization.

A China returnee CEO has raised roughly $50m for his bioventure that is looking to clinically validate and commercialize an RNA activation platform he co-discovered while working in the US.

The controversial nasal spray has improved remission rates over an atypical antipsychotic in patients with a challenging form of depression, in Phase III data which could help boost its uninspiring market performance to date.

Several big pharma companies may be interested in buying Mirati, but could baulk at paying up to $12bn for its as-yet-unproven oncology portfolio.

Emerging Company Profile: Mini-proteins offer some of the capabilities of small molecules and antibodies with fewer limitations, Ordaõs claims. The biotech wants to lead a paradigm shift from discovery to design.

Shionogi’s once-daily oral COVID-19 antiviral finally gets Japan approval after being considered for the third time by an expert panel, paving the way for public availability of the country’s first such home-grown option in early December.

The Belgian group was stunned by an FDA rejection in May for its dual IL-17A and IL-17F inhibitor and although the refiling is complete, UCB may still have to wait six months to get Bimzelx into the all-important US psoriasis market.

With growing cases and deaths reported just as the country was preparing to ease some of its most restrictive COVID-19 measures, China takes new control steps amid low booster vaccine uptake and moves to halt the online sale of a repurposed domestic antiviral.

Blenrep’s withdrawal will add to GSK’s blockbuster drought, and hopes of separate trial success for the BCMA-targeting drug in earlier stage myeloma may now be harder to achieve.

Ryvu has only about $7m in cash and equivalents but believes that a mixture of venture debt, milestones from partners and tapping the equity capital markets will provide the funds to advance RVU120 for acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome.

Beam Therapeutics also announced that it dosed the first patient in its Phase I/II sickle cell disease trial; Vyne stepped into the increasingly competitive vitiligo space, while Tracon moved further into sarcomas in its checkpoint inhibitor program, and Telix started a small trial of its drug in brain cancer.

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.