Conference Updates The second day of the industry’s premier healthcare event in San Francisco continued to showcase strong investment in emerging technologies. While Novartis sharpened its focus on radioligand therapies, AstraZeneca made a strategic move by acquiring its AI partner.
Key Highlights:
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Novartis’ Radioligand Deal: The Swiss pharma giant paid $50 million upfront for exclusive worldwide rights to a peptide-based radioligand therapy from Zonsen PepLib Biotech (China). Beyond the initial payment, the biotech firm is eligible for additional milestones and royalties based on development and commercial performance.
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AstraZeneca Acquires Modella AI: Moving to bring technology in-house, AstraZeneca acquired its partner Modella AI. This acquisition allows the British drugmaker to integrate multi-modal AI foundation models and AI agents into its oncology R&D, aiming to optimize biomarker discovery and targeted therapy development.
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AstraZeneca’s Vision: CFO Aradhana Sarin noted that late-stage label expansion programs grew to 37 in 2025. The company expects 2026 R&D spending to land at the upper end of its low-20s percentage range of total revenue to support 104 ongoing Phase 3 studies.
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Novo Nordisk’s Innovation Strategy: Following a major internal restructuring, new Chief Scientific Officer Martin Holst Lange revealed that Novo personnel are taking approximately 200 meetings at JPM. The company is seeking “different flavors” of innovation, expanding beyond its core diabetes focus to metabolic intersections.
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Amgen’s Obesity Contender: While not part of the first wave of major obesity launches, Amgen remains confident in MariTide. CEO Robert Bradway announced six global Phase 3 studies for the asset, highlighting its potential for weight loss maintenance with convenient monthly or quarterly dosing schedules.
Source: https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/fierce-biotechs-jpm26-tracker-day-2