Pipeline is concentrated around Phase II, but sponsors have a few chances to see how FDA handles its ‘foundational constructs’ for psychedelic drugs, led by Lykos’ pending NDA for PTSD and Compass Pathways’ Phase III synthetic psilocybin COMP360 for treatment-resistant depression.

Otsuka steps into the ocular gene therapy field through a technology licensing deal worth up to $1.5bn with ShapeTX, which in turn further expands the US firm's global reach following a $3bn collaboration with Roche. 

After a year of R&D collaboration, Otsuka has made a decision to acquire Canadian venture Mindset to further expand its neurological pipeline with new 5-HT2A agonists.  

Pharma will partner with SyntheX on targeted protein degradation, with Autolus on cell therapy safety. Novo Nordisk gets rights to Ventus’s lead compound in NASH and chronic kidney disease.