China’s health ministry said the rise in respiratory illnesses the country has been seeing lately is caused by flu and other known pathogens, rather than a novel virus. Earlier in the week, the World Health Organization raised concerns about the surge, and formally requested that China provide more information about it. (Politico)
Xenon Pharmaceuticals’ experimental drug failed to significantly reduce the severity of major depressive disorder in a Phase 2 study. Company shares dropped 3.2%, though analysts noted that the drug, XEN1101, may still hold some promise for major depressive disorder – and Xenon said it will continue to explore it. (Reuters)
AbbVie and partner Genmab said the Food and Drug Administration granted breakthrough therapy designation to their epcoritamab treatment for relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) in adult patients. The moves come after the release of data from a Phase 1/2 trial involving 128 adult patients with relapsed, progressive or refractory CD20+ mature B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, including FL. (MarketWatch)
Roivant’s JAK/TYK2 inhibitor, brepocitinib, flopped in a Phase II trial in lupus patients. Brepocitinib failed to reach statistical significance in treating moderate to severe active lupus. (Endpoints News)
Novo Nordisk has plans to invest $2.34 billion in a French production site to expand its manufacturing and meet demand for weight loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic. The new facility will reportedly create 500 new jobs and is an expansion of its current Chartres facility, as the pharma works to address shortages of the popular obesity drugs. (The Wall Street Journal)
