Astellas Pharma US accounts for roughly one-third of the parent company’s annual revenues with a growing focus on immuno-oncology. The unit’s president discusses lessons from the pandemic, racial disparities in health care and business development.

Newly public Aligos will team with Merck & Co. on oligonucleotide therapies for NASH. Maze Therapeutics launches ophthalmology and CV-focused spinouts with Alloy and BridgeBio.

Cancer deals involve City of Hope/Chimeric, CARISMA/NYU, Sorrento/Mayo Clinic, Rain/Drexel, Diaprost/Memorial Sloan Kettering, Alkido/University of Kentucky. Plus, research collaborations in brief.

Since Palforzia likely will be the only peanut allergy drug on market for some time, Nestle announces it will pay about $2.6bn to acquire the 80% of Aimmune it doesn’t own.