Jury Awards Nektar Therapeutics $90 Million in Eli Lilly Licensing Dispute

A Delaware federal judge on Monday rejected requests from Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna to dismiss lawsuits filed by Bayer's Monsanto unit over their use of US Patent No. 7,741,118, a patent related to mRNA technology, with Judge William Bryson saying the companies failed to prove the patent was invalid or not infringed by their COVID-19 vaccines. Sanofi agreed to a deal worth up to $8B, including $1B upfront, with Regeneron to jointly develop four long-acting immunology therapies, led by the clinical-stage IL-13 monoclonal antibody REGN20423. China's Abogen Biosciences signed a licensing and option agreement with Novartis worth up to $7.8B, comprising a $575 million upfront payment and up to approximately $7.2 billion in potential milestone payments if all options on all programs are exercised, covering an exclusive worldwide license to Abogen's lead asset ABO2203. Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals agreed to license global rights to its experimental obesity drug HRS-1596 to Novo Nordisk in a deal worth up to $2.6B, with $300M upfront and the transaction expected to close in Q4 2026. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 Health Care Sector Index slipped 2.66% for the week, with Incyte down 6.93% and Regeneron down 6.71% among the top decliners, while McKesson rose 4.11% and Cardinal Health gained 3.67%.

Johnson & Johnson reported new Phase 3 results for its oral peptide ICOTYDE in plaque psoriasis at the 2026 EADV Congress, showing sustained skin clearance and improvement across multiple high-impact psoriasis sites, including in adolescent patients. Long-term data from the ICONIC-TOTAL study showed sustained skin clearance through Week 112 at high-impact sites such as the scalp, genital area, hands, feet and nails. The oral IL-23 inhibitor remains in clinical studies for other major inflammatory diseases beyond plaque psoriasis, including psoriatic arthritis, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. ICOTYDE is already approved in the U.S., Europe, Japan and China, and the key test ahead is how the evidence translates into prescribing and reimbursement decisions in those markets. Johnson & Johnson is a global healthcare group that develops prescription drugs, medical devices and consumer health products.

Merck reported positive Phase 2b results for tulisokibart in moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa on 1 October 2026. The investigational anti TL1A monoclonal antibody met its Phase 2b efficacy goals in patients with this chronic inflammatory skin condition, and Merck stated that the data support advancing the program into Phase 3 trials in hidradenitis suppurativa. The company said the readout backs the idea that tulisokibart can anchor a new immunology franchise rather than patch a niche condition, helping Merck argue it is building multiple disease-area pillars next to oncology, in contrast to peers like AbbVie and Johnson & Johnson that already lean heavily on immunology blocks. The bear case is that one successful readout does not erase execution risk across the rest of the late stage portfolio, especially with analysts already flagging profit margin pressure and safety questions on assets such as remigromig. Merck is a global healthcare group headquartered in GB that develops medicines across multiple disease areas.

Biogen's litifilimab produced clear or almost clear skin and reduced disease activity in cutaneous lupus erythematosus patients after one year of treatment, according to long-term phase 2 data. In the phase 2 portion of the AMETHYST Phase 2/3 study, 27.2% of patients on litifilimab met the clinical endpoint of clear or almost clear skin at week 52, as measured by a Cutaneous Lupus Activity Investigators' Global Assessment Revised erythema score of 0 or 1, up from 19% at week 24. The Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Area and Severity Index Activity-70, a measure of disease activity reduction, also improved with longer treatment, reaching 28.8% at week 52 compared with 21.7% at week 24. Biogen noted that patients who began the study on placebo and switched to litifilimab mid-study saw improvements as early as four weeks after starting active treatment, and by week 52, 33.7% of the crossover participants had clear or almost clear skin.