Novo Nordisk Chairman and Six Independent Directors Resign; Innovent and Takeda Announce $11.4 Billion Global Collaboration | Arterial Weekly Report

Li Jiaying Author: Interns Chen Chuan, Zheng Ao, He Duo

New Drug Development

AbbVie Announces Topline Results from RINVOQ® IIIb/IV SELECT-SWITCH Head-to-Head Trial

On October 20, AbbVie's official website announced the topline data from the Phase IIIb/IV SELECT-SWITCH head-to-head trial. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of its oral JAK inhibitor RINVOQ® (15 mg once daily) compared to HUMIRA® (40 mg every other week), achieving a low disease activity rate of 43.3% (vs 22.4% for adalimumab) and a remission rate of 28.4% (vs 14.5%), further demonstrating its superior efficacy over Humira, with both treatments showing a safety profile consistent with previous reports.

FDA Approves Roche's Gazyva/Gazyvaro for the Treatment of Lupus Nephritis

On October 20, Roche's official website announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Gazyva®/Gazyvaro® (obinutuzumab) for the treatment of adult patients with active lupus nephritis (LN) who are receiving standard therapy, with the option to reduce the infusion time to 90 minutes after the first infusion. Following four initial doses in the first year, Gazyva/Gazyvaro can be administered twice yearly, offering patients a more effective and convenient treatment option. This approval is based on the positive results from the Phase II NOBILITY and Phase III REGENCY studies.

Novartis Cosentyx® Achieves All Primary and Secondary Endpoints in Phase III Trial for Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR)

On October 22, Novartis announced that its product Cosentyx® (secukinumab) met the primary endpoint and all secondary endpoints in a Phase III trial. The results showed that, in adult patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), Cosentyx demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful sustained relief at 52 weeks compared to placebo. Novartis plans to submit to regulatory authorities in various countries in the first half of 2026.

AstraZeneca's Tezspire Approved for New Indication in the U.S. and Launch of Global R&D Center in Beijing

Recently, Tezspire (tezepelumab), jointly developed by AstraZeneca and Amgen, has been approved in the United States for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps that is not well controlled. It has become the first biologic targeting TSLP, offering patients a breakthrough treatment option.

Meanwhile, AstraZeneca officially launched its Global Strategic R&D Center in Beijing, as the core project of its $2.5 billion investment plan in China. Equipped with advanced artificial intelligence and data science platforms, the center aims to accelerate the translation of early-stage R&D into clinical applications, further deepening local innovation collaborations.

FDA Accepts Resubmission of Oncolytic Virus Therapy

On October 20, Replimune announced that the FDA had accepted the resubmission of its Biologics License Application (BLA) for RP1 in combination with nivolumab (brand name Opdivo) for the treatment of patients with advanced melanoma whose disease has progressed following prior anti-PD-1 regimen treatment.

Trends in Transactions and Financing

Summit Secures $500 Million Financing to Accelerate the Launch and Clinical Development of Ivolacimab

On October 22, Summit Therapeutics announced that it had successfully raised $500 million through a private placement. The funds will primarily be used to advance the clinical development and marketing application of its PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody, Eveci, co-developed with Akeso Biopharma.

Personnel Changes

Novo Nordisk Chairman and Six Independent Directors Resign

On October 21, Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk issued an urgent announcement, declaring that Chairman Helge Lund and six independent directors would collectively step down after the extraordinary general meeting on November 14. The announcement stated that during Lund's nearly seven-year leadership, irreconcilable differences emerged between him and the controlling shareholder, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, regarding the company’s core strategic planning, prompting the board to initiate a large-scale restructuring ahead of schedule. This reshuffle affects more than half of the board members, marking the most significant upheaval in the upper management of this century-old pharmaceutical enterprise in recent years, and signaling the official end of the Lund era.

New Drug Progress

CR Pharmaceutical's Chidamide Combined with Immunotherapy for Advanced Sarcoma Achieves Breakthrough

A Phase II clinical study presented at the 2025 European Society for Medical Oncology Annual Meeting showed that chidamide combined with toripalimab brings new hope for patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma.

The study involved 69 patients with advanced sarcoma who failed standard treatment. The results showed that the objective response rate of the combination therapy was 30.4%, the disease control rate was 73.9%, and the median progression-free survival was 7.1 months. Notably, in patients with well-differentiated/dedifferentiated liposarcoma who were insensitive to both traditional chemotherapy and immunotherapy, the efficacy was more significant, with an objective response rate as high as 62.5% and the median progression-free survival extended to 17.1 months.

Zai Lab Launches Global Phase III Study of Novel ADC Drug Zoci

Recently, Zai Lab announced the latest clinical data for its DLL3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate Zocilurtatug Pelitecan (Zoci). The drug demonstrated strong and durable anti-tumor activity in heavily pretreated patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer. In the 1.6mg/kg dose group used for second-line treatment, the objective response rate reached 68%. Notably, in patients with baseline brain metastases who had not received radiotherapy, the response rate was as high as 80%. The median duration of response across all dose groups was 6.1 months. Zai Lab has initiated a global Phase III registrational study for second-line treatment of small cell lung cancer, expecting to enroll approximately 665 patients.

Harbour BioMed Announces Positive Phase II Clinical Data of HBM4003 in Combination with Tislelizumab for Microsatellite Stable Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

On October 23, Harbour BioMed announced on its official website the positive Phase II clinical data of its next-generation fully human heavy-chain-only anti-CTLA-4 antibody, HBM4003 (Proluskab), in combination with Tislelizumab for the treatment of microsatellite-stable (MSS) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). The results showed that, in terms of efficacy, the combination therapy demonstrated good anti-tumor activity in 23 evaluable patients: an objective response rate (ORR) of 34.8% and a median progression-free survival (mPFS) of 4.2 months.

Ribo Biotech's Small Nucleic Acid Drug RBD1016 for Treating Hepatitis D Virus Infection Granted Orphan Drug Designation by EMA

On October 24, RiboBio and its subsidiary Ribocure Pharmaceuticals AB ("Ribocure") jointly announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) to their small interfering RNA (siRNA) candidate drug RBD1016 for the treatment of Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV) infection.

Financial Report Information

WuXi AppTec to Sell Two Subsidiaries to Hillhouse for 2.8 Billion Yuan, with a 84.84% Year-on-Year Increase in Net Profit for the First Three Quarters

On October 27, WuXi AppTec announced that it plans to sell 100% of the equity in two clinical service subsidiaries, WuXi Clinical and Jinshi Pharma, to a newly established entity under Hillhouse Investment's fund for a base consideration of 2.8 billion yuan. At the same time, the company released its Q3 report for 2025, achieving a net profit attributable to shareholders of 12.076 billion yuan in the first three quarters, a significant year-on-year increase of 84.84%.

Hengrui Medicine Reports Dual Growth in Revenue and Net Profit for the First Three Quarters of 2025

On October 27, Hengrui Medicine released its Q3 2025 financial report. The report shows that in the first three quarters of 2025, the company achieved operating revenue of 23.188 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 14.85%; net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company was 5.751 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 24.50%.

Market Trends

Innovent Bio and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited ReachStrategic Cooperation Established

On October 22, Innovent Bio announced on its official website a significant global strategic collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited to jointly accelerate the global development of Innovent Bio's next-generation IO and ADC therapies. This collaboration aims to leverage Innovent Bio’s innovative R&D capabilities in immuno-oncology (IO) and antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), along with Takeda's extensive experience in global oncology drug development, to expedite the global development process of two of Innovent Bio’s late-stage investigational drugs. Additionally, Takeda will gain an option for an early-stage R&D project. Innovent Bio will receive an upfront payment of $1.2 billion (including $100 million in premium strategic equity investment) and potential milestone payments, with the total transaction value reaching up to $11.4 billion.