Big pharma’s new year catalysts

If 2022 was about progress in Alzheimer’s, the new year looks to start with a battle in metabolic disorders, namely type 2 diabetes and obesity. Novo Nordisk is hoping to maximise efficacy of the oral formulation of its GLP-1 agonist semaglutide, by ramping up the dose, to help fend off threats from Lilly’s Mounjaro.

Elsewhere, Astrazeneca and its partner Daiichi will see data from two antibody-drug conjugates. Enhertu will try its chances in ultra-low Her2 breast cancer while datopotamab deruxtecan is in immunotherapy-failed lung cancer patients. Pfizer and Roche, meanwhile, are gunning for haemophilia B with the gene therapy fidanacogene elaparvovec, although CSL and Uniqure have got there first.