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The obesity treatment market is projected to reach $206.5bn by 2031, as per GlobalData. Credit: Cunaplus_M.Faba / Getty Images

Novo Nordisk has signed a deal worth up to $1bn with Lexicon Pharmaceuticals for the exclusive global rights to LX9851, an experimental oral treatment for obesity and related metabolic disorders.

Under the agreement, Lexicon will complete certain preclinical activities before Novo Nordisk takes over development, manufacturing, and commercialisation.

Lexicon will receive $75m in upfront and near-term milestone payments, with the potential to earn up to $1bn in total, including development, regulatory, and sales-based milestones.

Following the announcement, Lexicon’s stock has soared by 85%, from a market close of $0.35 yesterday (27 March) to a market open of $0.65 today. Novo Nordisk’s stock has remained stable on the news. 

LX9851 targets Acyl-CoA Synthetase 5 (ACSL5), an enzyme involved in fat metabolism and energy balance. Preclinical data presented at Obesity Week in Texas, US in November 2024 suggested that combining LX9851 with Novo Nordisk’s flagship drug semaglutide, marketed as Ozempic in type 2 diabetes and Wegovy in obesity, led to greater weight loss and reductions in food intake and fat mass compared to semaglutide alone. 

Purdue Pharma has filed a new bankruptcy plan that details how the funds will be allocated and the proportion paid by its owners, nearly two months after agreeing to a $7.4bn opioid settlement.

The latest scheme will see the company’s owners, the Sackler family, contribute around $6.5bn in instalments over the next 15 years, with $1.5bn to be paid on the day the plan becomes active. An additional $500m could be provided by the Sacklers if international pharmaceutical businesses they sell reach a higher-than-expected value.

Purdue is expected to raise and contribute $900m while dissolving and transforming into a new public benefit company. The non-profit company that emerges will develop and distribute opioid use disorder and overdose rescue medicines. The Sacklers will have no links to the new company. 

As cell and gene therapy developers struggle against an investment slump and competition from established autologous treatments, allogeneic cell therapies may still find a niche.

Though still nascent, allogeneic options are “poised for prime time,” said Stefanos Theoharis, CEO of the Barcelona, Spain-based Onechain Immunotherapeutics, at the Advanced Therapies 2025 conference, in London on 18 March.

One of the primary attractions of allogeneic options is that they have relatively fewer operational challenges than autologous treatments. Theoharis noted that concerns around the limited scalability and lengthy quality controls for autologous manufacture is spurring the sector’s desire for allogeneic alternatives.

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its interleukin 23 inhibitor, Tremfya (guselkumab), to treat moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease (CD) in adults.

The approval introduces the therapy with both subcutaneous (SC) and intravenous (IV) induction alternatives for this gastrointestinal tract’s chronic inflammatory condition.

The fully human dual-acting monoclonal antibody attaches to the cluster of differentiation 64, targeting inflammation at its cellular source.

The latest decision is based on the outcomes from several Phase III trials, which comprised more than 1,300 CD subjects who were not tolerant to conventional treatments or biologics.

The GRAVITI trial evaluated SC induction of the antibody and maintenance therapy against a placebo. GALAXI clinical programme data revealed that the antibody was superior to Stelara across all pooled endoscopic endpoints.

The comprehensive findings from these Phase III trials showcased the efficacy of both SC and IV formulations of the antibody in meeting endoscopic and clinical endpoints.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming drug discovery, but its implementation must be thoughtful and strategic, according to Krishna Bulusu, senior director in oncology data science at AstraZeneca.

Speaking at the ELRIG Drug Discovery meeting in London on 11 March 2025, Bulusu outlined how AI can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and support personalise medicine.

“Accelerating drug discovery doesn’t just mean doing the same thing very, very fast. It means that we’re also going to do different things, and we’re going to do things more efficiently,” Bulusu said. He stressed that AI should not be applied indiscriminately but should be used to answer well-defined scientific questions.

One key example of how AstraZeneca is using AI role in drug discovery is the company’s collaboration with biological simulation company Turbine. The partnership, announced in January 2024, uses Turbine’s simulated cancer cell technology to model drug resistance mechanisms in haematological cancers.

By integrating public and proprietary data, the AI-driven model generates millions of simulations, predicting drug interactions and identifying potential combination therapies.