The week in pharma: action, reaction and insight – week to September 30

By Barbara Obstoj-Cardwell, Editor

Among last week’s significant news, US biotechs Seagen and LAVA Therapeutics said they had entered into a licensing deal aimed at the development of the latter’s LAVA-1223 for solid tumors. Japan’s Eisai and US biotech Biogen touted positive new clinical data on their newest Alzheimer’s candidate lecanemab. On the regulatory front, CRISPR Therapeutics and Vertex were granted US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rolling review for their exa-cel, a gene-edited therapy for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia. Also, US drug developer Amylyx Pharmaceuticals last Thursday gained FDA approval for its amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) candidate Relyvrio.

Validation for LAVA, and a small distraction for Seagen