PharmaFocus Today – media

Merck Announces $6.7 Billion Cash Acquisition of Cancer Biotechnology Company Terns

On March 25 local time, US pharmaceutical giant Merck…The company announced that it has reached a $6.7 billion all-cash deal to acquire cancer biotechnology company Terns Pharmaceuticals in order to obtain one of its promising leukemia treatments. Under the terms of the agreement, Merck will acquire Terns for $53 per share, a total transaction valued at approximately $6.7 billion, including Terns’ cash holdings. After deducting the acquired company’s cash holdings, the net consideration is approximately $5.7 billion. Terns is headquartered in Fox, California.Terns, based in Tet City, has been dedicated to developing oral medications for the treatment of cancer, obesity, and metabolic liver diseases. Its core product is TERN-701, an oral medication used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia. https://finance.eastmoney.com/a/202603263685113817.html
- Source: drugdu
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- March 26, 2026
West Point Pharmaceuticals’ application for marketing approval of ferric protein succinate, a drug for treating iron deficiency anemia, has been approved

Shanghai Securities News (Reporter Feng Xinyi) – West Point PharmaceuticalsThe company announced in a midday announcement on March 26 that it recently received the ” Chemical Raw Material ” certificate for ferric protein succinate issued by the National Medical Products Administration.Notification of Approval for Drug Marketing Application. According to the announcement, ferric protein succinate is an iron supplement used for occult or overt iron deficiency anemia caused by insufficient iron intake or malabsorption, acute or chronic blood loss, and infection, as well as absolute and relative iron deficiency anemia such as anemia during pregnancy and lactation. Westpoint Pharmaceuticals stated that the product approval further enriches the company’s product line and helps enhance the market competitiveness of its products. However, due to the high-tech, high-risk, and high-value-added characteristics of pharmaceutical products, sales after approval are easily affected by factors such as changes in industry policies, bidding and procurement, and changes in ...
- Source: drugdu
- 38
- March 26, 2026
“Human Interferon Alpha-1b Inhalation Solution” to be Included in Breakthrough Therapy Program

Today (March 24th), according to the latest announcement on the CDE website, Shenzhen Sinovac Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sinovac Biotech, has proposed to include its independently developed human interferon α1b inhalation solution in the list of breakthrough therapy products, with the proposed indication being pediatric respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) lower respiratory tract infection (pneumonia, bronchiolitis). RSV is a highly contagious virus belonging to the Pneumovirus genus of the Paramyxoviridae family. It primarily affects infants under 6 months old, causing lower respiratory tract infections such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia, which can be life-threatening in severe cases. While RSV typically causes only cold-like upper respiratory tract symptoms in older children and adults, its threat to infants and young children should not be underestimated. Statistics show that almost all children are infected with RSV before the age of 2. Due to its large population, China has one of the highest ...
- Source: drugdu
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- March 26, 2026
Another MNC is increasing its investment in China

Novartis recently announced that it will continue to increase its investment in China, expanding its R&D, production and operations in the country. The investment is expected to exceed RMB 3.3 billion , contributing to the innovation and high-quality development of China’s biopharmaceutical industry. In a press release, Novartis stated that, upholding its commitment to “China,” Novartis continues to increase its investment in China, constantly upgrading and improving its integrated strategic layout encompassing R&D, production, and business development. To further enhance its innovation and production capabilities in the Chinese market, Novartis will launch a large-scale investment expansion plan in 2026. Novartis’ Changping plant , established in 1987, has a maximum annual production capacity of 3 billion tablets/capsules and 550 million boxes of packaging, making it an important production base in Novartis’ global manufacturing and supply network. Currently, the plant has launched a new round of expansion and upgrade projects , with ...
- Source: drugdu
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- March 26, 2026
Federal Pharmaceuticals’ subsidiary innovative drug UBT251 has achieved success in Phase II clinical trials

On March 25, Federal Pharmaceuticals (03933) issued an announcement stating that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Federal Biotechnology (Zhuhai Hengqin) Co., Ltd., has independently developed a Class 1 innovative drug UBT251 injection has completed a Phase II clinical trial in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. This study included 211 patients with a baseline mean HbA1c of 8.12%, a baseline weight of 80.1 kg, and a baseline BMI of 29.1 kg/m². Results showed that after 24 weeks of treatment, the UBT251 treatment group achieved the highest mean HbA1c reduction of 2.16%, significantly better than the 1.77% reduction in the semaglutide group and the 0.66% reduction in the placebo group. Simultaneously, the UBT251 treatment group achieved the highest mean weight reduction of 9.8%, compared to 4.8% in the semaglutide group and only 1.4% in the placebo group. This study also demonstrated that UBT251 showed improvements in key secondary endpoints such as waist circumference, ...
- Source: drugdu
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- March 26, 2026
Grand Pharmaceutical’s strategic partner Telix’s first-in-class rADC in a multicenter international Phase III trial has made positive progress

On March 24, Grand Pharmaceutical Group Limited (hereinafter referred to as ” Grand Pharmaceutical “), a Hong Kong-listed company, announced on its official WeChat account that its strategic partner in the field of radiopharmaceuticals, Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (hereinafter referred to as “Telix”), recently announced a major positive development. The first part (safety and dosimetry-guided) of the international multicenter Phase III clinical trial (ProstACT Global) of TLX591-Tx, a candidate drug for the treatment of prostate cancer labeled with lutetium, has successfully met its primary objective, demonstrating the safety and tolerability of the product, and no new adverse reactions were observed. It is understood that TLX591-Tx is the world’s first lutetium-labeled therapeutic rADC. Its targeting and pharmacological properties are significantly different from existing marketed prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeting small peptide molecules, aiming to achieve high internalization rate, long retention time and high selectivity for PSMA. The progress made in ProstACT Global is ...
- Source: drugdu
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- March 26, 2026
$2.175 Billion! Gilead Acquires Ouro Medicines, Partner of Conno Bio’s NewCo, Further Validating the Global Value of TCE Bispecific Antibodies

On March 24, 2026, Conno Bio announced that Ouro Medicines, its NewCo partner, had signed a merger and acquisition agreement with Gilead Sciences. Gilead will acquire Ouro Medicines for an upfront payment of $1.675 billion plus up to $500 million in milestone payments, bringing the total transaction value to $2.175 billion. As a shareholder of Ouro Medicines, Conno Bio will receive approximately $250 million in upfront payment and up to approximately $70 million in milestone payments, with total potential revenue of approximately $320 million. Conno Bio will also continue to enjoy tiered royalty rights on the commercial sales of CM336/OM336. This landmark transaction not only accelerates the global development of this potential best-in-class T-cell engager (TCE) in the field of autoimmune diseases, but also fully validates the innovative value of Conno Bio’s proprietary TCE R&D platform. I Transaction Structure: US$2.175 Billion Acquisition; Conno Bio to Receive US$320 Million in Returns ...
- Source: drugdu
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- March 25, 2026
The first domestically produced gene therapy drug for hemophilia B has been approved for marketing in Macau

On March 19, Belief Pharmaceuticals announced that its independently developed gene therapy drug, Xinjiuning™ (BBM-H901 injection, generic name: Popedacoji injection), has been officially approved by the Macau Drug Regulatory Authority for the treatment of adult patients with moderate to severe hemophilia B (congenital factor IX deficiency) . This product is the first hemophilia B gene therapy drug to be marketed in mainland China and Macau . This drug utilizes recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) to precisely deliver the highly active FIX gene into the patient’s liver cells, resulting in sustained high expression of the FIX gene within the liver and its secretion into the bloodstream, where it exerts its procoagulant activity. Its design incorporates an engineered liver-targeting AAV843 capsid, a highly active FIX-Padua gene, a liver-specific strong promoter, and a double-stranded AAV design, aiming to achieve rapid, efficient, and sustained gene expression after intravenous administration. The efficacy and safety of this ...
- Source: drugdu
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- March 25, 2026
Multiple blockbuster drugs successfully completed Phase 3 trials.

March 2026 can be considered a “bumper month” for global new drug development. From multiple sclerosis to IgA nephropathy, from prostate cancer to type 2 diabetes, several blockbuster drugs have delivered impressive results in Phase III clinical trials. 01 Fenebrutinib: A New Oral Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by central nervous system inflammation, demyelination, and axonal damage, affecting more than 2.8 million people worldwide. The disease is protracted and recurrent, leading to limb disability and cognitive impairment in its later stages, severely impacting patients’ quality of life and placing a heavy burden on families and society. For a long time, clinical treatment of MS has been hampered by “injection dependence ,” with current treatments primarily consisting of injectable formulations, including interferon and monoclonal antibodies. While these can slow disease progression to some extent, they suffer from inconvenient administration, poor patient compliance, and ...
- Source: drugdu
- 38
- March 25, 2026
Gilead abandons a new hepatitis B drug

Recently, Gilead Sciences officially relinquished its development rights to ABI-4334 , a novel antiviral drug candidate for hepatitis B that is currently in Phase 1 clinical trials , returning all rights to the original developer, Assembly Biosciences. The development of ABI-4334 began at Assembly Biosciences. It is a next-generation capsid assembly regulator whose core mechanism of action is to inhibit the capsidation of hepatitis B virus pregenomic RNA and disrupt the capsid that enters hepatocytes, thereby preventing the formation of covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA). Gilead’s collaboration with Assembly began in October 2023, when Gilead paid a $100 million upfront payment for priority access to all of Assembly’s existing and future projects, with a 12-year cooperation period . Subsequently, in December 2023, the two companies further deepened their collaboration, with Gilead acquiring two of Assembly’s recurrent genital herpes (HSV) treatment products for $35 million. ABI-4334, as a key hepatitis B ...
- Source: drugdu
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- March 25, 2026

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