The family-owned German group is the market leader in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis with Ofev but the big-selling drug has significant side effects and only slows, but does not stop, the progression of the disease. It is hoping that the Phase III-ready compound BI 1015550 will offer a significant improvement.

In this week's podcast version of Five Must-Know Things: Pfizer to boost migraine presence via M&A; Roche’s immunotherapy ambitions take a hit; Biogen’s CEO search gets more complicated; Stoffels lays out new strategy for Galapagos; and mixed results for Japanese majors.

The leader in inflammatory bowel disease via Humira, AbbVie awaits a US FDA decision in June for Skyrizi in Crohn’s disease and plans to add a Crohn’s indication to Rinvoq’s ulcerative colitis approval.

Pharma veteran Paul Stoffels, the new CEO of Galapagos, is not thinking about using the Belgian biotech’s cash pile to buy Phase III drugs but is open to licensing deals with US firms who have drugs approved at home and are looking for a European partner.