Novartis today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval for Tafinlar® (dabrafenib) + Mekinist® (trametinib) for the treatment of pediatric patients 1 year of age and older with low-grade glioma (LGG) with a BRAF V600E mutation who require systemic therapy. The FDA also approved liquid formulations of Tafinlar and Mekinist, marking the first time a BRAF/MEK inhibitor has been developed in a formulation suitable for patients as young as one year of age.

AstraZeneca has announced the launch of the 2023 R&D Postdoctoral Challenge, an initiative designed to accelerate ideas to transform the treatment of some of the world’s most complex diseases.

The R&D Postdoctoral Challenge has been designed to drive R&D productivity, promote diversity of thought and stimulate research opportunities across the globe.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and Seagen Inc. (Nasdaq: SGEN) today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Pfizer will acquire Seagen, a global biotechnology company that discovers, develops and commercializes transformative cancer medicines, for $229 in cash per Seagen share for a total enterprise value of $43 billion.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved ZAVZPRET™ (zavegepant), the first and only calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist nasal spray for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura in adults. In its pivotal Phase 3 study, ZAVZPRET was statistically superior to placebo on the co-primary endpoints of pain freedom and freedom from most bothersome symptom at two hours post-dose.

GSK plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK) announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted that the available data support the safety and effectiveness of GSK's respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) older adult vaccine candidate for the prevention of lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) caused by RSV in adults aged 60 years and older.

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted that available data is adequate to support the safety and effectiveness of its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bivalent vaccine candidate PF-06928316 or RSVpreF. The Committee voted 7 to 4 on safety and 7 to 4 on effectiveness.

AstraZeneca and KYM Biosciences Inc.* have entered into a global exclusive licence agreement for CMG901, a potential first-in-class antibody drug conjugate (ADC) targeting Claudin 18.2, a promising therapeutic target in gastric cancer. Under the licence agreement, AstraZeneca will be responsible for the research, development, manufacture and commercialisation of CMG901 globally.