Look back at pharma news in the week to December 18, 2020

20 December 2020

As 2020 was drawing to a close, AstraZeneca announced the year’s largest M&A deal with a $39 billion bid for US rare diseases firm Alexion Pharmaceuticals. Also, Eli Lilly revealed an agreement to acquire gene therapy company Prevail Therapeutics for around $1 billion. On the research front, AbbVie presented new data on its Rinvoq, which showed superiority to Sanofi’s Dupixent in atopic dermatitis, and Novo Nordisk last week revealed it will test its diabetes drug Rybelsus (semaglutide) as a possible treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Last Wednesday saw Gilead Sciences hand back most rights to rheumatoid arthritis drug Jyseleca (filgotinib) to Belgian partner Galapagos.

As this is the last issue of the ‘look back at pharma news’ for 2020, in what has been a very difficult year, I would like to offer my best wishes to all our readers for Christmas and the New Year. The next issue will be in the second week of January.

Alexion ticks AstraZeneca’s boxes

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Try before you buy

Free

7 day trial access

Take a Free Trial

All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.

Become a subscriber

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now

Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription

The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK