GSK plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK) today announced that it has acquired Elsie Biotechnologies, a San Diego-based private biotechnology company dedicated to unlocking the full potential of oligonucleotide therapeutics, for up to $50 million (approximately £39 million).

Oligonucleotides have a unique ability to modulate gene expression, making them an attractive modality to address a significant proportion of therapeutic targets that are not amenable to traditional small molecules or biologics.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) today announced longer-term follow-up results from the Phase 3 CROWN trial evaluating LORBRENA® (lorlatinib, a third-generation ALK inhibitor, available in Europe under the brand name LORVIQUA®) versus XALKORI® (crizotinib) in people with previously untreated, anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Bayer AG and BlueRock Therapeutics LP, a clinical stage cell therapy company and wholly owned independently operated subsidiary of Bayer AG, announced today that BlueRock's investigational cell therapy bemdaneprocel for the treatment of Parkinson's disease has been granted Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Sanofi, Formation Bio and OpenAI are collaborating to build AI-powered software to accelerate drug development and bring new medicines to patients more efficiently. The three teams will bring together data, software and tuned models to develop custom, purpose-built solutions across the drug development lifecycle. This represents a first collaboration of its kind within the pharma and life sciences industries.

Today AstraZeneca revealed its bold ambition to deliver $80 billion in Total Revenue by 2030, up from $45.8 billion in 2023. This will be achieved through significant growth in its existing oncology, biopharmaceuticals and rare disease portfolio, and by launching an expected 20 new medicines before the end of the decade. To drive sustained growth beyond 2030, the Company will continue investing in transformative new technologies and platforms that will shape the future of medicine.

Novartis announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Mariana Oncology, a preclinical-stage biotechnology company based in Watertown, Massachusetts focused on developing novel radioligand therapies (RLTs) to treat cancers with high unmet patient need.

The transaction bolsters the Novartis RLT pipeline and expands the company's research infrastructure and clinical supply capabilities, supporting Novartis strategic priorities in oncology and RLT platform innovation.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved BEQVEZ™ (fidanacogene elaparvovec-dzkt) for the treatment of adults with moderate to severe hemophilia B who currently use factor IX (FIX) prophylaxis therapy, or have current or historical life-threatening hemorrhage, or have repeated, serious spontaneous bleeding episodes, and do not have neutralizing antibodies to adeno-associated virus serotype Rh74var (AAVRh74var) capsid as detected by an FDA-approved test.