Not long after reporting phase 2 data for one of its obesity candidates that appeared to put it on par with Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, Kailera Therapeutics is preparing for an eventual market launch with a new commercial leader.

While Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies isn’t immune to the challenges facing the broader CDMO industry, the company’s long-running expansion journey—and its ability to snare high-profile pharma clients—has blunted many of the pressures met by its peers.

The FDA has tapped Sara Brenner to serve as acting commissioner as it awaits new leadership from the Trump administration to complete the congressional confirmation process.

Demand slipped for several large contract research organizations last year, and a new report from William Blair suggests these firms shouldn’t expect much improvement in 2025.

For "ethical" reasons, Merck has halted the phase 3 HYPERION trial of its pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) treatment Winrevair after reviewing positive interim results from another study and evaluating the drug’s overall clinical program. All patients in the trial will have the opportunity to resume or begin treatment with Winrevair, the company said.

British pharma giant GSK is heading back to school, pledging up to 50 million pounds sterling (about $62.4 million) to work with the University of Oxford on cancer vaccines.