Clinical concerns outweigh quality issues in big pharma CRLs, a Pink Sheet analysis finds, making mirikizumab – the fourth new product candidate sponsored by Lilly to receive a CRL since 2021 – even more of an outlier: it was turned back by FDA because of manufacturing concerns.

Pfizer’s InnoPharma unit finally overcame US FDA’s concerns about injectable acetaminophen GMPs and leachables. Meanwhile, Azurity resolved zonisamide manufacturing issues, Amphastar overcame doubts about naloxone’s nasal spray device, Incyte reused Zynyz CMC data, Cidara showed Rezzayo vials had enough powder, Pharming showed equivalence between Joenja tablets and capsules, and Orphalan avoided half-tablet stability testing of its functionally scored Cuvrior tablets.

Vertex and CRISPR look beyond beta thalassemia and sickle cell disease. Also, Bicycle gets $50m up front in Novartis deal, Regeneron commits $75m initially under a Treg collaboration with Sonoma, and Jounce gets a better deal from Concentra to wave off Redx merger.

GSK takes equity stake in Spero, and global rights to tebipenem except for certain Asian markets. Merck KGaA gets rights to Nerviano’s next-generation PARP inhibitor for cancer.