DCB Taiwan

NEWS & INSIGHTS (incl. Key Themes, Latest Interviews, Recent Reg. Guidance)

• Notable Theme (Commercial): The Trump Administration’s various pronouncements on tariffs has been a key theme, although impact on pharma/biotech/medtech is not fixed or clear. Early in the month, biotech stocks rose while some pharma companies saw their share prices decline, particularly those with expansive global manufacturing footprints. J&J became the latest US big pharma to announce major investment in US manufacturing and infrastructure. MedTech Europe has called on the EU to seek to exclude medical technologies from tariffs, and beauty business leaders are also speaking out against tariffs on personal care and cosmetics items.
• Notable Theme (Commercial): The wave of interest and investment in obesity therapy continues with Roche signing the biggest deal in the space to date, partnering with Zealand to a total potential deal value of $5.3bn, centered on the latter’s Phase IIb-stage candidate petrelintide. However, promising unpartnered assets in this space are now becoming scarcer.
• Notable Theme (Regulatory): When HHS announced it would lay off 3,500 people at the FDA, it was reported that employees read to find out what was happening because of the limited official communication. The Pink Sheet had provided detailed information about the scope of the layoffs, who was impacted, and where the agency could suffer. Further concerns that the upcoming user fee negotiations, which impact more than $1bn in FDA funding, could slow down because of staffing concerns, a scoop that went beyond the news of the day that other outlets favored.

EDITORIAL CONTENTS (incl. Podcasts, Webinars)

• Notable Podcast: Drug Fix: Understanding The Impact Of The Latest HHS Layoffs On The US FDA
• Notable Webinar (Upcoming): Pharma R&D Review 2025 (Apr 15, 2025)
• Notable Webinar (Upcoming): The First-to-Market Myth: What Really Drives Launch Success? (Apr 30, 2025)

DEALS & FINANCING (incl. M&As, Licensing, Financing)

• Notable M&A: Mallinckrodt Enters into Merger Agreement with Endo for $6.7B
• Notable Licensing: Zealand Pharma and Roche Enter Collaboration and License Agreement to Co-Develop and Co-Commercialize Petrelintide Totalling $5.25B ($1.65B upfront)
• Notable Financing: Isomorphic Labs Raised $600M in Funding Round

KEY R&D EVENTS (incl. Top-line Readouts, Analyst Commentary, Approval/CRL)

• Notable Analysis: Takeda | Rusfertide | Polycythemia Vera (Phase 3): “Positive Phase III results help clear the path for approval of rusferitide, a potentially first-in-class hepcidin mimic for polycythemia vera…”
• Notable Analysis: Novo Nordisk | CagriSema | Obesity (Phase 3): “Novo Nordisk’s CagriSema’s weight loss in obese patients with T2D disappoints despite meeting primary endpoint…”
• Notable Analysis: J&J | Icotrokinra | Psoriasis (Phase 3): “Icotrokinra, a promising oral peptide therapy for psoriasis, potentially surpassed some biologics and approved oral drugs…”

RESEARCH REPORTS (incl. Forecast, Thought Leadership, KOL Interview)

• Notable Report: Pharma R&D Annual Review 2025
• Notable Report: 2025 Orphan Drug Report: Are Orphans That Different?
• Notable Report: Dealmaking Quarterly Statistics, Q4 2024 | Financing Quarterly Statistics, Q4 2024
• Notable Report: Patient-based Forecast: Bladder Cancer
• Notable Report: Patient-based Forecast: Myasthenia Gravis (MG)
• Notable Report: Patient-based Forecast: Meningococcal Vaccines