drugmakers

Pharmaceutical company Roche has outlined plans to move towards autonomous, AI-driven laboratories. According to a Reuters report, the Swiss drugmaker intends to use artificial intelligence and robotics to automate research workflows, accelerating drug discovery and reducing the need for manual lab work. The announcement highlights how major pharma firms are adopting AI to speed up experimentation and research.

AstraZeneca has invested $2bn in US biotech firm Summit Therapeutics as part of a major cancer research collaboration. The FTSE 100 drugmaker agreed to buy 109,000 shares in the Nasdaq-listed company at $18.36 per share, funding a tie-up aimed at developing new cancer treatments.

A growing debate is unfolding over legal responsibility when artificial intelligence systems used in healthcare make errors. As AI tools move into diagnosis and treatment decisions, questions are mounting over whether doctors, hospitals, drugmakers or software developers should be held accountable when a wrong recommendation harms a patient, and regulators have yet to offer clear answers.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial published in Nature tested safiglipron, an oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist, in people with early type 2 diabetes. Unlike injectable GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide, safiglipron is taken as a pill, which could make treatment easier to access. The publication is drawing attention as drugmakers race to develop oral alternatives to popular injectable weight and diabetes medications.

A health brief from The Washington Post reports that pharmaceutical companies have emerged largely unscathed from the Trump administration's drug price plan. The item suggests the plan has had minimal impact on drugmakers so far, contrary to expectations that pricing reforms would hurt the industry.

Northwestern University has won a bid to strike Moderna's government sales defense in their ongoing patent dispute. The ruling narrows Moderna's legal options in the closely watched case over vaccine technology. The fight is part of broader litigation between the university and the drugmaker over COVID-19 vaccine patents, and the decision could shape how similar government-use defenses are handled in other patent battles.

The European Union's pharmaceutical package legislation is drawing attention over proposed exemptions for specialty drugs, which could shape tariff treatment for high-cost therapies. Industry watchers are weighing how the rules would affect cross-border supply chains and pricing of advanced medicines, making it a live debate among pharma companies, regulators and trade policy experts.

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk has agreed a deal worth $2.6 billion with China's Hengrui Pharmaceuticals, giving Novo rights to an obesity drug candidate. The agreement underscores fierce competition in the fast-growing weight-loss drug market, where Novo's Wegovy faces mounting rivalry from Eli Lilly and emerging Chinese developers.

Britain's Royal College of Nursing has ended its commercial partnership with Teva UK, the British arm of Israeli drugmaker Teva. The union said the decision followed the company's links to Israel's military and concerns over its corporate track record. The move adds to pressure on firms with Israeli ties amid the ongoing conflict.

Swiss drugmaker Novartis has agreed a deal worth about $7.8 billion with China's Abogen Biosciences, according to Reuters. The agreement centres on mRNA technology, marking a significant move by Novartis into the field and a landmark licensing arrangement for a Chinese biotech firm with a major Western pharmaceutical partner.

Novartis has agreed to acquire Chinese biotech Abogen in a deal worth $7.8bn, betting on bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTEs) aimed at autoimmune diseases. The move signals the Swiss drugmaker's push into next-generation immunology therapies, expanding its pipeline beyond traditional treatments. Industry watchers see it as part of a broader wave of big pharma deals targeting autoimmune conditions with engineered antibody technologies.

Pharmaceutical company Alnylam has brought in Pete Shaw, a veteran American football player, as part of a new heart disease education initiative. The campaign uses Shaw's profile as a former professional athlete to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease. Details about the campaign's scope and message have so far come only from the initial announcement.

A new obesity drug has been described as the most powerful yet after trial participants reportedly lost up to 25% of their body weight. The results, reported by Ars Technica, would surpass figures associated with current GLP-1 medications such as Wegovy and Zepbound, intensifying competition among drugmakers in the fast-growing weight-loss treatment market.

Regeneron is being highlighted for its science-driven approach to corporate communications, distinguishing its brand strategy within the pharmaceutical industry. A report examines how the company leans on scientific credibility rather than traditional marketing to shape its public image, positioning it as a notable example among large drugmakers.