The week in pharma: action, reaction and insight – week to April 1, 2022

By Barbara Obstoj-Cardwell. Editor

Regulatory developments last week included good news for Belgium’s largest drugmaker UCB, which on Monday announced the US Food and Drug Administration had approved its Fintepla for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), a rare form of childhood epilepsy. FDA news was not so good for Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, as an FDA advisory panel voted against approval of its amyotrophic lateral sclerosis candidate AMX0035. On the deal-making front, the USA’s IGM Biosciences announced a major deal with France’s Sanofi on the development of IgM antibodies against oncology and immunology targets. Also, Swiss pharma giant Roche announced a setback last Wednesday, with its lung cancer candidate tiragolumab missing co-primary endpoint in a Phase III trial.

UCB takes on Jazz in severe epilepsy with new Fintepla approval