Look back at pharma news in week to August 10

Deal-making news last week that attracted attention included Neuren Pharma’s licensing agreement for its rare disease drug trofinetide with Acadia, which disappointed investors, and Sarepta Therapeutics gaining three gene therapies from Lacerta. Regulatory news included a disappointment for Pain Therapeutics as it revealed receipt of a Complete Response Letter from the US Food and Drug Administration relating to its New Drug Application for analgesic Remoxy, but on the positive front, the FDA approved Alnylam’s rare disease drug Onpattro, though analysts see competition in sight. Elsewhere, Novo Nordisk’s financial results showed disappointing figures for its diabetes drug Victoza, Also, there were new proposals from US health regulators to help Medicare negotiate lower drug prices.

Neuren pays the price for sell-side froth

In a biotech bull market it is normal for sell-side analysts to hype their stocks ever more enthusiastically, for fear of losing out on buying momentum. The problem comes when reality catches up with the froth, as Australia’s  Neuren Pharma found out last week, said EP Vantage, the editorial arm of the Evaluate Group.