Newly announced US FDA advisory committee meetings on Lilly’s Alzheimer’s antibody, Lykos’ pioneering psychedelic therapy for PTSD relieve drought in non-oncology AdComms as the 2024-‘25 COVID vaccine strain selection meeting is postponed.

The ranks of B7-H3-targeting antibody-drug conjugates under development in China have seen their first dropout, although elsewhere there are two FGFR2b-directed ADCs with first-in-class potential on the horizon. Meanwhile, there have been other discontinuations of KRAS G12C inhibitors and anti-BCMA CAR-T cell therapies in the country, while new players have surfaced in the areas of mRNA cancer vaccines and amyloid-beta-targeting antibodies for Alzheimer’s disease.

A second tocilizumab biosimilar has been launched in the US, with Bio-Thera and Biogen together introducing their Tofidence version just weeks after Fresenius Kabi launched its first-to-market Tyenne.

Private Company Edition: First quarter data again confirm fewer but larger VC rounds in Q1. Big Q2 rounds include a $132.5m series C round for Endeavor Biomedicines, a $103m series A round for Reunion Neuroscience and Enlaza’s $100m series A.