Jewel Jones warns that pharma catches patient disengagement too late, CSL and Alentis Therapeutics join Jiangsu Nhwa and Somnivera in a day of new licensing deals, and Corxel's Bo Liang calls GLP-1's leap to bariatric-surgery-level efficacy the biggest surprise in obesity medicine.

Foghorn Therapeutics and Eli Lilly discontinue their SMARCA2 degrader program, Novartis licenses Abogen's autoimmune mRNA therapy while AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo, and Summit Therapeutics team up on a breast cancer combination trial, and Corxel's Bo Liang makes the case for oral GLP-1 therapies.

Regeneron and Sanofi expand their antibody alliance with four new drug candidates, FDA approves Camzyos for adolescents with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and Michael Abrams questions digital health's savings claims to employers.

Novo Nordisk data show real-world weight loss after switching to its oral semaglutide pill, FDA's peptide rulemaking stalls while its enforcement arm targets compounded peptide sellers, and Avi Pardo flags a compliance blind spot in field teams' text messages with doctors.

In this episode of Leading Edge with Ken Banta, Jeremy Levin, D.Phil, MB BChir, co-founder and executive chairman of Ovid Therapeutics, joins Banta, The Vanguard Network founder and CEO, for a wide-ranging and candid discussion on the challenges confronting the U.S. biotechnology industry and the leadership required to strengthen its future. Drawing from Levin’s book, Biotech in the Balance: Saving a Strategic Industry in an Age of Distrust, the prominent and outspoken biopharma leader argues that biotechnology is facing pressures that extend well beyond the traditional cycles of capital and investment. The conversation with Banta and Pharmaceutical Executive's Mike Christel turns squarely to leadership and the industry's relationship with the public. Levin challenges pharma and biotech executives to communicate more clearly what their organizations contribute to patients and society — but stresses that communication must be backed by meaningful action. "Mission without method is a waste of time,” he asserts. Banta and Levin also explore the responsibility of corporate boards, how executive incentives can shape organizational priorities and whether the traditional emphasis on shareholder value adequately reflects the broader societal obligations of healthcare companies.  

New U.S. guidance carves out tariff exemptions for specialty pharmaceuticals, Pharming's Fabrice Chouraqui steps down as CEO amid a board rift, and a dealmaking roundup covers Hengrui Pharma's licensing agreement with Novo Nordisk and AstraZeneca's investment in Summit Therapeutics.

Merck licenses a preclinical KRAS G12D inhibitor from SciBrunch, FDA approves Olumiant, Juvmo, and Atebrioz across three separate indications, and Matthew Montes de Oca makes the case for compounding pharmacies to set their own safety standards.

FDA approves Merck and Eisai's Welireg-Lenvima combination for advanced kidney cancer, a platform-deal roundup covers Novo Nordisk, Genentech, and Roche's tie-ups with Nanexa, Earendil Labs, and Atavistik Bio, and Ron Lanton examines the fight to regulate pharmacy benefit managers.

InnoCare Pharma and Eli Lilly ink a multibillion-dollar research collaboration, FDA approves Lilly's once-weekly insulin Onswik for type 2 diabetes, and Jen Lamppa talks fixing clinical trial patient enrollment with real-world data.

EVERSANA's Jen Norton talks about how AI is reshaping market access strategy, a new analysis from MIT and Harvard Business School names clinical data harmonization as the real barrier to enterprise AI adoption in life sciences, and Novo Nordisk's CEO says he's open to a direct NYSE listing.