Sun Pharma will acquire Organon for $11.75 billion. Astellas Pharma predicts that sales of Xtandy will decline in fiscal 2026. B-One Medicines is entering the PD-1xVEGF race with a trispecific antibody option. moreover.
1. Sun Pharma acquires Organon for $11.75 billion, sealing the biopharmaceutical industry’s largest deal in 26 years
Sun Pharma inked a deal to buy Organon for $11.75 billion in the biggest biopharmaceutical acquisition so far this year and the largest ever by an Indian drug company. The partnership will make Sun the seventh largest seller of biosimilars. And Organon’s skin cream Vtama fits into Sun’s specialty dermatology business. Organon’s 2025 sales matched Sun’s sales last year.
2. Astellas is counting on new drugs to offset expected decline in Xtandi in FY2026
Astellas Pharma indicated that global sales of Xtandi, which is partnered with Pfizer, peaked at about $6 billion in fiscal 2025. Price reductions in the U.S. are expected to begin in 2027, and the company expects Xtandi sales to decline 5.3% in fiscal 2026. Five strategic brands, led by Padcef in partnership with Pfizer, are expected to keep Astellas’ sales in the black by March 2027, when the current fiscal year ends.
3. Astellas decimates nascent pipeline to replace struggling rare disease gene therapy
Astellas Pharma will discontinue development of its gene therapy drug AT132 (also known as resamirigen vilparvovec) for the rare disease X-linked myotubular myopathy in favor of a new candidate, ASP2957, which has shown “high muscle specificity and reduced liver targeting” in preclinical studies, Astellas CEO Naoki Okamura said.
4. BeOne signs $2 billion deal for China’s Huahui preclinical trispecific antibody option
BeOne Medicines is entering the PD-1xVEGF space through an agreement with China’s Huahui Health. BeOne has received an option to purchase Huahui’s PD-1xCTLA-4xVEGF-A trispecific antibody for an upfront payment of $20 million. If BeOne exercises its option, it will pay $100 million, with the potential to pay up to $1.9 billion in milestone payments. This candidate has not yet reported clinical data.
5. Pfizer’s victory on Vindamax generic delay is a mixed bag for BridgeBio: Analyst
Pfizer has reached a settlement with three companies, including India’s Cipla, to postpone the launch of a generic version of its blockbuster transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) treatment Vindamax until 2031. Other terms of the deal were not disclosed. Last year, the drug recorded global sales of $6.3 billion, reflecting 17% growth from 2024.
6. Erasca hits a “home run” with cancer data, analyst suggests stock price decline due to patient deaths
Elasca’s pan-RAS drug, licensed from China’s Joyo Pharmatech, reported a 40% response rate in 20 second-line patients with KRAS G12X-mutated pancreatic cancer. This number compares to 19.6% with Revolution Medicines’ dalasonelasib in a previous trial. However, the death of a 66-year-old patient who developed pneumonia about a month after starting the Elasca drug raised concerns among investors.
Other notable news:
7. First, postponement of annual report due to review amid “rapidly changing business conditions”
8. Protagonist chooses to pay Takeda $475 million in exchange for splitting US rasfertide profits
9. House committee calls for ban on Chinese data from FDA drug trial applications (Endpoints News)
