The rival firms are advancing separate biologic candidates that target IL-17 in a bid to treat the more than 60% of hidradenitis suppurativa patients who remain uncontrolled on AbbVie’s Humira, with recent trial readouts showing promise.

Merck & Co’s combination treatment has disappointed in a challenging group of lung cancer patients, marking yet another setback for the increasingly precarious anti-TIGIT space even as some analysts say this is not the end of the road.

The German biotech has highlighted its myelofibrosis drug candidate, pelabresib, as a key value driver going forward after a year of hard knocks and lackluster Monjuvi sales that forced the firm to downsize its workforce and cease preclinical operations.

The French firm’s vorasidenib, obtained via a 2020 deal with Agios, has met the primary endpoint in a pivotal glioma trial, according to interim data, validating its strategic focus on the oncology space.

Having reached proof-of-concept for its first-in-class SK ion channel inhibitor for atrial fibrillation, the Danish firm is on the hunt for a licensee as it moves its attention to its preclinical program for sinus rhythm maintenance.

Data from part B of the Swedish firm’s pivotal trial of Tarpeyo in the rare kidney disorder showed that the treatment effects lasted two years across the entire population, enabling the move from conditional to full approvals in several markets.