Medicxi has merged six of its dermatology-focused companies to form Alys Pharmaceuticals, which will develop novel therapies in the immuno-dermatology space, the new Boston and Swiss-based biotech announced Monday.

Takeda Pharmaceutical’s therapy for an allergic inflammation of the esophagus has received approval from the U.S. FDA, the Japanese drugmaker said on Monday, capping a years-long regulatory process.

CSL on Sunday announced that its investigational cholesterol efflux enhancer CSL112 failed the Phase III AEGIS-II trial, unable to significantly improve outcomes in patients who had suffered a heart attack.

Metagenomi shares dropped 31% on Friday afternoon in a disappointing debut on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, highlighting the potential perils faced by preclinical biotechs seeking to go public, according to Seeking Alpha.

Novo Nordisk

Two Florida courts last week ruled in Novo Nordisk’s favor in its legal battle against wellness clinics and compounding pharmacies for marketing counterfeit or compounded versions of its popular weight-loss drug semaglutide.

Bayer’s CEO said on Friday that the healthcare and crop chemicals group continues to firmly back its glyphosate weedkiller even after a recent courtroom loss in U.S. litigation over an alleged carcinogenic effect.

Moderna

Moderna fell as much as 7% on Friday after Wall Street analysts raised concerns over faster declines in the efficacy of its experimental respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine when compared with rival shots from GSK and Pfizer.

The CEOs of Bristol Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson and Merck testified Thursday before the Senate health committee, defending the high U.S. prices that Americans pay for prescription drugs compared to other countries based on patient value and the need to fund innovation and R&D costs.  

Neurona Therapeutics on Thursday announced that it has secured $120 million in funding, which will help it advance its pipeline of investigational off-the-shelf cell therapies.

Roche is cutting 345 jobs, Swiss website Muula reported, as the drugs company responds to lower profit posted for 2023 and a more cautious outlook for the year ahead.