As sector awaits its aducanumab filing with bated breath, Biogen invests again in early stage neuroscience.

The German major's two leading products continue to perform well but there are not many potential blockbusters in the pipeline.

Analysts forecast a slow climb towards peak sales of $2bn – but competitors could erode that figure.

Shares in Iovance Biotherapeutics have soared this week amid reports the US clinical-stage biotechnology company is in active M&A talks.

Roche receives initial knockback for lymphoma treatment which could rival CAR-T therapies.

The company has reached a broad opioid settlement agreement in principle under which its specialty generics subsidiaries would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and Mallinckrodt's branded business would operate separately.

Business development leaders and venture capital investors spoke at Biocom’s annual partnering conference about what they are seeking in relationships with entrepreneurs and start-ups.

Shares in Iovance Biotherapeutics have soared this week amid reports the US clinical-stage biotechnology company is in active M&A talks.

Genentech pays $30m up front in a collaboration with Bicycle in a deal that could bring the UK biotech roughly $1.7bn in total. Also, deals involving Nimble, Seattle Genetics, Five Prime, Fresenius, Vifor, Yuhan, Imnewrun, Paratek, Almirall, MBD, AzothBio, Norgine, Faes, Aspen Pharmacare, Swixx.

Deal Snapshot: AstraZeneca has sublicensed global rights to its peripheral mu-opioid receptor antagonist to RedHill Biopharma, excluding Europe, Canada and Israel, with RedHill also separately receiving non-dilutive financing from HealthCare Royalty Partners.

Deal Snapshot: GSK obtains rights to two of Immatics’ TCR targets, following on the German firm’s similar deals in recent years with Celgene, Genmab and Amgen.

Deal Snapshot: Forte finds a route to the public markets to support moving its atopic dermatitis drug into Phase II; most of Tocagen’s assets will be sold off.

The Mallorca-based biotech is building a strong data package for SNF472 which the company believes will be an effective treatment for a number of calcification disorders in dialysis patients.

Sandoz US president Carol Lynch talked to Scrip about its changing US portfolio, which will emphasize biosimilars, as the Novartis unit is poised to divest most of its US generics portfolio to Aurobindo.

With a long turnaround process now complete, AstraZeneca could hit double digit growth in 2020, thanks to existing products and new approvals such as roxadustat. 

Expensive acquisitions are in the spotlight during earnings season. The purchases of Kite and Celgene by Gilead and Bristol-Myers Squibb are not turning out to be what was written on the tin.

Cipla to moderate investments across US generics R&D and specialty business, while its India business components - prescription, trade generic and consumer health - are being brought under a “single capital allocation framework.”

Cadila is exploring orphan indications for saroglitazar magnesium, in addition to the approaching Phase III NASH clinical trials for its lead NCE. Meanwhile, it counts on new product launches and biosimilars to take its FY21 growth story ahead.

After eptinezumab’s approval in the US, EVP Peter Anastasiou told Scrip it will take time to change migraine doctors’ prescribing habits, but he expects CGRP inhibitors to become mainstay preventative treatments. Vyepti’s list price is about $1,000 below its competitors’ launch prices.

Roche receives initial knockback for lymphoma treatment which could rival CAR-T therapies.

ICER’s final report on new acute migraine treatments said the drugs are similarly beneficial when patients don’t respond to or can’t take triptans, but found Reyvow is not as cost effective as Ubrelvy and rimegepant.

Industry advisers at the BIO CEO & Investor meeting remained optimistic about the pharmaceutical deal environment in 2020 – even with the uncertainty around a looming US election year. 

Top-line Phase III results from Incyte’s TruE-AD2 study of ruxolitinib cream and Eli Lilly’s BREEZE-AD4 and BREEZE-AD5 studies of oral baricitinib show that the compounds achieved primary endpoints in atopic dermatitis, and they may eventually challenge Sanofi’s Dupixent’s growth in the sector.

Lilly, Allergan and Biohaven plan to launch oral drugs for on-demand treatment of migraine attacks in the first quarter, hoping to harness a large market where new preventive therapies are already competing for patients.