Merck’s latest pneumococcal vaccine and Pfizer’s RSV vaccine notched new BTDs, along with Zambon’s inhaled antibiotic for non-CF bronchiectasis, Acer’s vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome drug and Dizal’s targeted lung cancer candidate.

Public Company Edition: The last biopharma IPO in the US was on 17 February and none have been scheduled, so far, for March. Also, another SPAC merger is called off, Travere sells $275m worth of notes and Xeris secures $150m in new debt, while Ovid, Passage Bio and others are cutting jobs. 

Ardelyx will add to FDA’s growing dispute resolution queue with plan to appeal tenapanor complete response letter; Avenue Therapeutics’ IV tramadol dispute resolution tops out with FDA plea for advisory committee advice.

Genentech will use the X-Chem platform to obtain leads against multiple oncology targets. Lilly partners with Merus on CD3-targeting T-cell therapy candidates.