Major Pharma Companies Halt Multiple Drug Development Programs in H1 2025

Recently, pharmaceutical giants have successively announced their financial results for the first half of 2025, while also disclosing updates on their R&D pipeline projects, including drugs that have been decided to halt development. Among these are projects that had already entered Phase III clinical trials. This article will review the projects abandoned by giants such as Roche, Sanofi, Novartis, AstraZeneca, GSK, and Merck in the first half of 2024.

AstraZeneca Terminates 5 Clinical Trials, 3 of Which Are CAR-T Projects

On July 29, AstraZeneca disclosed in its half-year financial report that it would terminate the Phase I clinical development of AZD5851 (GPC3 CAR-T), AZD6422 (CLDN18.2 CAR-T), and NT-125 (TCR-T), as well as the Phase II clinical development of zibotentan + dapagliflozin for cirrhosis and Ultomiris (ravulizumab) for lupus nephritis.

Cell Therapy Project Terminated Due to Challenges in the Cell Treatment Field

Notably, after the Phase I clinical trials for the three cell therapies—AZD5851, AZD6422, and NT-125—were terminated, no related clinical trials are currently ongoing.

Although AstraZeneca has terminated the development of these three cell therapies, it does not mean that it will reduce its presence in this field. In the past two years, AstraZeneca has successively acquired Gracell Biotechnologies and EsoBiotec, and also partnered with Cellectis to develop novel cell therapies.

Notably, AstraZeneca removed four projects in Q1. One was a Phase 3 study of Capivasertib in combination with docetaxel versus placebo plus docetaxel for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). The other three were neuroscience projects: PAR2 monoclonal antibody MEDI0618 for episodic migraine (Phase II clinical trial), NGF/TNF-α monoclonal antibody MEDI7352 for knee osteoarthritis and diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (Phase II clinical trial), and Aβ monoclonal antibody MEDI1814, co-developed with Eli Lilly, for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (Phase I clinical trial).

GSK: Termination of Two Phase III Clinical Trials

On July 30, GSK released its H1 2025 financial report, which included the termination of two Phase III clinical trials.

In the second quarter, GSK terminated the Phase III clinical trials of the TIGIT monoclonal antibody belrestotug for non-small cell lung cancer and ibrexafungerp for invasive candidiasis. On May 13 this year, due to the GALAXIES Lung-201 study failing to meet its primary endpoint, GSK decided to terminate the belrestotug development program and end its collaboration with iTeos. Four years ago, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) paid $625 million upfront to iTeos to acquire the rights to belrestotug. Following the failure of the drug's Phase III clinical trial, the biotech company initially planned to wind down operations but ultimately accepted an acquisition offer from Concentra Biosciences earlier this month.

At the same time, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has terminated the Phase II development project of the adjuvant recombinant protein malaria vaccine, code-named GSK3437949. A company spokesperson explained that this decision was based on a strategic adjustment recently announced by the pharmaceutical division to focus on second-generation multi-stage malaria vaccines.

In addition, sanfetrinem cilexetil, the oral prodrug of the antibiotic sanfetrinem, has also been removed from the company's Phase 1 R&D pipeline. The spokesperson stated, "In early studies, the drug did not show advantages compared to existing therapies and other tuberculosis-specific assets being developed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)."

In addition, GSK has removed three projects from its Q1 financial report. These are the two Phase II studies of IL18 monoclonal antibody GSK1070806 for atopic dermatitis (AD) and the Phase II clinical study of VH3739937.

Roche: Termination of 7 Clinical Projects, Abandonment of TIGIT

On July 24, Roche released its financial report for the first half of 2025, along with updates on the progress of its R&D pipeline. The report showed that in the first half of 2025, Roche cut a total of 7 clinical projects, covering 4 Phase I clinical trials and 3 Phase III clinical trials.

In this round of pipeline terminations, the most watched TIGIT monoclonal antibody RG6058 (tiragolumab) has had its last two Phase III clinical trials terminated, marking Roche's complete abandonment of the target's development. Since 2022, the product’s Phase III studies have faced repeated setbacks: In 2024, it failed to demonstrate a significant efficacy difference from the control group in a Phase II/III trial for metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); the same year, a Phase III clinical trial combining the product with a PD-L1 antibody for locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC also did not meet the primary endpoint of overall survival (OS). In 2025, two additional Phase III clinical trials — one combining it with Tecentriq as a first-line treatment for unresectable Stage III NSCLC, and another combining it with Tecentriq and Avastin for first-line treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma — both failed to reach the primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS).

In addition to the TIGIT monoclonal antibody, Roche also terminated the following six clinical projects:

PD-1-IL-2v Antibody Fusion Protein RG6279 (eciskafusp alfa): Termination of its Phase I clinical trial in combination with Tecentriq for the treatment of solid tumors (NCT04303858). This study aimed to evaluate the safety and anti-tumor activity of the drug as monotherapy or in combination therapy.

WRN Inhibitor RG6457 (RO7589831): Phase I Clinical Trial for Solid Tumors Terminated (NCT06004245). This drug, co-developed by Roche and Vividion Therapeutics (a subsidiary of Bayer), has now returned to the pipeline of Vividion Therapeutics and the Phase I trial is continuing.

USP1 Inhibitor RG6614 (KSQ-4279): Phase I Clinical Trial for Monotherapy and Combination Therapy in Advanced Solid Tumors Terminated (NCT05240898), a Project Co-developed by Roche and KSQ Therapeutics.

Ophthalmology Candidate Drug RG7921: Phase I Clinical Trial for Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO) Terminated. The drug was initially developed for wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration (wAMD), and the indication was terminated in 2023; this marks the overall termination of its development.

RG7601 (Venetoclax) in Combination with Azacitidine: Discontinuation of Phase I Clinical Trial for the Treatment of Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). Previously, AbbVie announced that the combination regimen did not meet the primary endpoint of OS in the Phase III VERONA study for first-line treatment of high-risk MDS (HR=0.908, p=0.3772).

Obesity Asset CT-173: Development Terminated. The drug, acquired by Roche for $2.7 billion from Carmot Therapeutics, is a long-acting PYY analog, with Phase I clinical trials originally planned to commence in 2025.

Merck: Termination of Multiple Oncology Projects

Recently, Merck announced its Q2 performance for 2025, with multiple Phase II and Phase III clinical pipelines being terminated. These include the Phase II study of MK-1308 (CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody) for non-small cell lung cancer, the Phase III study of MK-1022 (HER3-ADC) for non-small cell lung cancer, and the Phase III study of MK-7902 (Lenvatinib) for esophageal cancer.

MK-1308 is a CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody that MSD introduced from Akeso in 2015 (the upfront payment was undisclosed, with development and commercialization milestone payments of up to $200 million). The drug aims to enhance the immune system's attack on tumor cells by activating T cells. MSD is exploring the therapeutic potential of this drug in combination with pembrolizumab or other combination therapies across various malignant tumors. Notably, the clinical study of the drug's combination therapy with pembrolizumab for renal cell carcinoma has progressed to Phase III, while this time, only the Phase II study in NSCLC has been terminated.

MK-1022 (HER3-DXd) is an ADC targeting HER3. In 2023, Merck acquired three ADCs from Daiichi Sankyo for an upfront payment of $4 billion and a potential total deal value of up to $22 billion, including this drug. Previously, Merck had submitted a marketing application for HER3-DXd for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients who had received two or more prior systemic therapies. However, due to the OS results of the confirmatory Phase III HERTHENA-Lung02 study failing to reach statistical significance, Merck and Daiichi Sankyo decided to withdraw the drug's marketing application and terminate its Phase III NSCLC study in Europe.

MK-7902 (Lenvatinib) is a multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor jointly developed by Merck and Eisai. It has been marketed and approved for multiple indications, including liver cancer and thyroid cancer. Based on previous clinical research information, it is speculated that the Phase III esophageal cancer study recently terminated by Merck may be the LEAP-014 study, which compares lenvatinib in combination with pembrolizumab (the "Kely Combo") plus chemotherapy versus standard treatment as a first-line therapy for esophageal cancer. The results of the first part of this study were presented at the 2023 ESMO Asia conference, showing that the "Kely Combo" plus chemotherapy demonstrated acceptable safety and tolerability in untreated patients with metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. However, the specific efficacy and safety results of the second part have not yet been disclosed.

Sanofi: Remove 2 Early Pipelines

Sanofi's H1 financial report did not mention the termination of pipeline projects. However, according to the Q1 financial report, Sanofi terminated two early-stage pipelines.

One is a Phase II clinical study of Bexatamig for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Bexatamig (SAR443579) is a novel trispecific NK cell engager co-developed by Innate and Sanofi, constructed through Innate's proprietary multispecific antibody platform ANKET. It targets the CD123 antigen on tumor cells while engaging NKp46 and CD16a on NK cells. On April 23, 2025, based on the company’s strategic priorities, Sanofi terminated the previous collaboration agreement with Innate regarding this drug, and Innate obtained full rights to Bexatamig.

Another is the Phase I clinical study of BND-22 (SAR444881) for solid tumors. BND-22 is a self-developed ILT2 monoclonal antibody by Biond Biologics. In 2021, Sanofi secured a global exclusive licensing agreement with Biond Biologics for this drug with a cash prepayment of $125 million, development, registration, and sales milestone payments exceeding $1 billion, and double-digit tiered royalties. As part of the agreement, in April 2021, Biond initiated a first-in-human Phase I study (NCT04717375) in collaboration with Sanofi to evaluate the safety and tolerability of BND-22 as a monotherapy and in combination with cetuximab and pembrolizumab. However, in March 2025, based on adjustments to the company’s strategy, Sanofi returned the rights to BND-22, fully transferring it back to Biond.

Novartis: Discontinuation of Ianalumab Development in Hidradenitis Suppurativa

On July 17, Novartis announced in its second-quarter financial report that it would halt the development of Ianalumab for the indication of Hidradenitis Suppurativa (a condition that causes painful lumps to form in areas where the skin rubs together). Although the Phase II study demonstrated efficacy against placebo, Ianalumab failed to meet Novartis' pre-set efficacy threshold, leading the company to decide to terminate the development for this indication.

Ianalumab is a dual-mechanism B-cell depleting antibody targeting the BAFF-R protein. Novartis currently has Cosentyx for the treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa. No new safety signals were observed with ianalumab, and its research in other B-cell-driven diseases will continue as planned.

Despite setbacks with ianalumab in hidradenitis suppurativa, Novartis still considers the drug a key candidate for treating Sjögren's syndrome (an autoimmune disease causing dry eyes and mouth) and plans to file for regulatory approval of ianalumab next year. Results from two Phase III trials of ianalumab for Sjögren’s syndrome, as well as a late-stage study for second-line immune thrombocytopenia, are all expected to be released in the second half of this year.

The core reasons for each company's termination of R&D are focused on insufficient clinical efficacy (e.g., Merck's MK-6194, Novartis' Ianalumab), strategic priority adjustments (e.g., AstraZeneca's cell therapy, Sanofi's IGM collaboration), and cost versus risk trade-offs (e.g., Roche's RG6206). Additionally, some terminations are related to industry trends, such as the high uncertainty in the cell therapy field leading to AstraZeneca and Roche scaling back their investments. It remains to be seen how these companies will reallocate resources to support the development of their core pipelines.

Sanofi: TerminationTwo itemsCOPDPhase III

ItpekimabAs Sanofi's highly anticipated IL-4/IL-13 dual antibody, it faced a setback in two COPD Phase III trials announced in May 2025: AERIFY-1 met the primary endpoint, but AERIFY-2 failed to replicate the success, casting a shadow over the drug’s market prospects.
. This outcome directly impacted Sanofi's pipeline strategy —— the company subsequently terminated its oncology and immunology collaboration with IGM Biosciences, shifting its strategic focus to inflammation and immunology.

In the early pipeline, Sanofi also terminated the BTK inhibitor.TolebrutinibIn the Phase III program for relapsing multiple sclerosis, but plans to submit applications for other indications.

Johnson & Johnson:Continuous Termination of Two Key Projects

In March 2025, Johnson & Johnson consecutively terminated two Phase 3 projects.

Aticaprant: The Phase III trial for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) as an oral opioid κ receptor antagonist was halted due to "insufficient efficacy." Despite good safety, the failure of Neumora's similar drug Navacaprant at the same time further validates the clinical challenges of this target.

HexaBody-CD38 (GEN3014): Due to a treatment discontinuation rate as high as 51.1% (compared to 4.7% in the daratumumab group), Johnson & Johnson abandoned global development rights, and Genmab subsequently announced it would no longer advance clinical development.

Sina Medicine Comprehensive

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