Pharma News

Merck has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), as well as the newly approved subcutaneous formulation KEYTRUDA QLEx™, in combination with WELIREG® (belzutifan) for the adjuvant treatment of certain patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), the most common form of kidney cancer.

As healthcare delivery becomes increasingly team-oriented, pharmaceutical marketers are being encouraged to look beyond physicians and engage a broader network of healthcare professionals involved in patient care. According to a recent announcement from IQVIA Digital, artificial intelligence is helping marketers identify and connect with nurse practitioners (NPs), physician associates (PAs), and other key members of collaborative care teams who play a growing role in treatment decisions.

Eli Lilly has announced positive Phase 3 results showing that its BTK inhibitor Jaypirca (pirtobrutinib) significantly improved outcomes for patients with previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) when combined with a fixed-duration venetoclax-based regimen. The findings add to growing evidence that targeted combination therapies may help patients achieve longer periods of disease control without continuous treatment.

Lundbeck has unveiled promising early-stage clinical data for its investigational therapy asedebart, highlighting a potential new treatment approach for patients living with Cushing’s disease, a rare endocrine disorder driven by excessive cortisol production. The findings were presented at the ENDO 2026 Annual Meeting in Chicago.

Johnson & Johnson has reported encouraging Phase 3 results for a combination therapy featuring TALVEY (talquetamab-tgvs) and DARZALEX FASPRO (daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj), highlighting the growing potential of bispecific antibody-based treatment strategies in earlier-line relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM).

In a landmark step for diabetes management, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the first over-the-counter (OTC) continuous glucose monitor (CGM) for use in children. The decision expands the indication of Dexcom’s Stelo Glucose Biosensor System, making it the first prescription-free CGM available for pediatric patients.

Johnson & Johnson has announced encouraging results from its pivotal Phase 2/3 ENERGY study evaluating IMAAVY (nipocalimab-aahu) in patients with warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia (wAIHA), a rare autoimmune blood disorder that currently has no FDA-approved therapies. The findings suggest that the investigational treatment could offer a much-needed targeted option for patients struggling with chronic anemia and severe fatigue.

Researchers from Keio University School of Medicine in Japan have identified a previously unknown immune mechanism that may be responsible for sustaining the chronic autoimmune response seen in Sjögren’s disease. The discovery sheds new light on how the disease progresses and could open the door to targeted treatments that avoid the broad immune suppression associated with current therapies.